^  \r  ^. 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


11.25 


Hi  . 


12.2 


HI 

■u 

u 


L°    12.0 


6" 


M 

U    il.6 


^ 


VI 


^> 


Hiotografiiic 

Sciences 

Corporalion 


L17 


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<^ 


<C\^\ 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14SS0 

(71^)872-4503 


'^ 


^^I^^ 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHIVI/ICIVIH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historicai  IV/licroreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  tachniquas  at  bibliographiquaa 


Tha  Inatituta  haa  attamptad  to  obtain  tha  baat 
original  copy  avaiiabia  for  filming.  Faaturaa  of  thia 
copy  which  may  ba  bibliographicaiiy  unlqua, 
which  may  altar  any  of  tha  imagas  in  tha 
raproduction,  or  which  may  aignificantly  change 
tha  uaual  method  of  filming,  are  checlced  below. 


D 


D 


n 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 


I     I    Covers  damaged/ 


Couverture  endommagte 


□    Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaur^  et/ou  pellicuiAe 


I     I   Cover  title  missing/ 


Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 

Coloured  maps/ 

Cartes  gtographiques  en  couleur 

Coloured  inic  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  biaclc)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bieue  ou  noire) 

Coloured  plates  and/or  iilustrationa/ 
Planches  et/ou  iilustrationa  en  couleur 


Bound  with  other  material/ 
ReiiA  avec  d'autres  documents 

Tight  bin'iing  may  cauae  ahadowa  or  diatortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  re  iiure  serr^e  peut  cauaer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
diatortion  le  long  de  la  marge  IntArieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  certainea  pages  blanches  ajoutitos 
lors  d'une  re^tauration  apparaissent  dana  le  texte, 
male,  iorsqua  cela  dtait  poaaibia.  ces  pagea  n'ont 
pas  6t6  flimies. 

Additional  comments:/ 
Commentairea  suppi6mentaires: 


L'Institut  a  microfilm^  le  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'ii  lul  a  AtA  poaaibia  de  ae  procurer.  Lea  dAtaila 
de  cet  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-Atre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dana  la  mAthode  normaia  de  filmage 
sont  Indiqute  ci-deasous. 


r~]   Coloured  pagea/ 


Pagea  de  couleur 

Pagea  damaged/ 
Pagea  andommagtea 


□   Pagea  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Pagea  restaurAes  et/ou  pelllculAes 


Pagea  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
Pagea  dicolortes,  tachettea  ou  piquAes 


□    Pagea  detached/ 
Pagea  ditachtes 

r~T^  Showthrough/ 
lAu   Tranaparance 

I     I    Quality  of  print  variea/ 


D 
D 


Quality  in^gala  de  I'impression 

Includee  supplementary  material/ 
Comprend  du  material  suppitfmentaire 


Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Mition  diaponibla 

Pagee  whoHy  or  partially  obacurad  by  errata 
slips,  tissuea,  etc.,  have  been  ref limed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  Image/ 
Lea  pages  totalement  ou  partieliement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  6t6  flimAea  A  nouveau  de  fapon  A 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  poaaibia. 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checlced  below/ 

Ce  document  eat  film*  au  taux  de  reduction  indiqu*  ci-deaaoux. 

10X  14X  18X  22X 


26X 


30X 


y 

— r 

12X 


16X 


2DX 


24X 


28X 


32X 


Th«  copy  filmed  h«r«  has  b««n  r«produc«<i  thanks 
to  tha  ganarosity  of: 

Douglas  Library 
Quaan's  Univarsity 


L'axamplaira  f limA  fut  raproduit  grAca  k  la 
g4nArosit4  da: 

Douglas  Library 
Qjaan's  University 


Tha  Imagaa  appa&ring  hara  ara  tha  bast  quality 
poaalbia  conaidaring  tha  condition  and  lagibility 
of  tha  original  copy  and  in  kaaping  with  tha 
filming  contract  spacifications. 


Original  coplas  in  printed  paper  covers  ara  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  end  ending  on 
the  lest  page  with  e  printed  or  iiiuatratad  impres- 
sion, or  the  beck  cover  when  eppropriete.  All 
other  originel  copiee  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  pege  with  a  printed  or  lllustreted  impres- 
sion, end  ending  on  the  lest  pege  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


Les  imsges  suiventes  ont  itA  reproduites  avac  la 
plus  grand  soin,  compta  tenu  de  le  condition  at 
de  la  nettetA  de  I'exempleire  filmA.  et  an 
conformity  avac  les  conditions  du  contrat  ds 
fiimage. 

Les  exempleires  origineux  dont  la  couvarture  en 
papier  eat  imprimie  sont  filmte  en  commen9ant 
par  le  premier  plet  et  en  terminent  soit  par  la 
darnlAre  pege  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impreealon  ou  d'iilustration,  soit  par  la  second 
plet,  selon  le  ces.  Tous  les  autrea  exempleires 
origineux  sont  filmte  en  commen^ent  per  la 
pramlAre  pege  qui  compoite  une  empreinte 
d'impreealoiri  ou  d'iilustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  dernlAre  pege  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shell  contain  the  symbol  — ^  (meening  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meening  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 


Un  dee  symboles  suivsnts  apparaftra  sur  la 
darnlAre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
ces:  le  symbols  — »>  signifie  "A  SUIVRE".  le 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN". 


Meps,  pistes,  cherts,  etc.,  mey  be  filmed  et 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  ara  filmed 
beglnnir.g  in  the  upper  left  hend  corner,  left  to 
right  end  top  to  bottom,  ee  meny  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diegrems  illustrste  the 
method: 


Les  certes,  planches,  tsbleaux,  etc.,  peuvent  Atre 
film6s  A  des  taux  de  rMuction  diff Arents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  Atra 
raproduit  en  un  aaul  ciichA,  11  est  film*  A  pertir 
de  I'angle  supArieur  geuche,  de  geuche  A  droite, 
et  de  heut  en  bes,  en  prenant  la  nombre 
d'imegea  nAcesssire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrant  le  mithode. 


1  2  3 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

Being  a 

INGS 


TICONDEROGA: 


PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


"MIXED." 


A  Companion  to  "Lakk  George,  Illustrated." 

Being  a  History  of  Ticonderoga— Illustrated  with  Etch- 
ings, AND  containing  A  MaP  OF  THE  RuiNS  OF  TO-DAY. 


BT 


S.  R.  STODDARD. 


ALBANY: 
WEED,  PARSONS  AND  COMPANY,  PRINTERS. 

1873. 


Fl7-3 


-o 


^s 


Entered,  according  to  act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  eighteen  hundred  and 

seventy-three, 

By  S.  R.  STODDARD, 

In  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  V/ashingion. 


WEED,  PARSONS*   CO., 

PRINTERS   AND   STEREOTYPERS, 

ALBANY,    N.  Y. 


./ 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


Pacb. 

OVERLAND 5 

The  Model  Stage  Man 6 

Baldwinianisms 7 

Barnum 7 

Pippins 7 

A  Passage  at  Arms ^ 

The  Upper  Falls 9 

Alexandria "^ 

Lord  Howe ^  ^ 

Ticonderoga  :  Roads ^3 

"  A  Great  Natural  Curiosity  " U 

Another ^5 

Village  of  Ticonderoga ^5 

The  Old  French  Lines ^6 

Abercrombie's  Defeat ^7 

The  Muddy  Little  Boy ^9 

Baldwin  Again -° 

His  Great  Affliction 21 

A  Blissful  Future  Foreshadowed 22 

Discoveries  :  A  Retrospect 23 

Adam ^3 

Noah 23 

The  Magi ^^^ 

,    The  Northmen 24 

Chris 24 

Other  Discoverers 25 

The  Pocahontas-Smith  Affair '•  26 


67903 


IV 


Contents. 


Discoveries— (Concluded):  Pace. 

Puritans  Discovered 27 

Henry  Hudson 28 

Samuel  Champlain • 29 

Early  Battle — 1609 30 

Carillon 34 

Fort  Ticonderoga 34 

Meaning  of  the  Name 35 

History  previous  to  the  Revolution 35 

The  Green  Mountain  Boys 37 

Ethan  Allen 38 

Allen's  Narrative 39 

Capture  of  Ticonderoga  by  Allen 41 

Mount  Defiance  46 

Capture  of  Ticonderoga  by  Burgoyne 47 

Peace 49 

Fort  Ticonderoga  Hotel 50 

Map  of  the  Ruins,  1873 51 

Present  State  of  the  Ruins 52 

The  old  Fort  Weil 52 

The  old  Soldier 52 

The  Covered  Way 53 

The  Barracks 53 

A  Difference  of  Opinion 54 

Grenadier  Battery 55 

Mount  Independence 55 

The  Underground  Rooms 56 

Outer  Defenses 58 

A  Picture 59 

The  Parade 62 

The  Sally  Port 62 

A  Tradition 63 

Tremble  Meadow 64 

Good  Night 65 

Contents  of  Lake  George.    Illustrated (>^ 


TICONDEROGA 


OVERLAND. 


lANDERERS  still,  we  have  threaded 
the  silvery  pathway  of  the  Horican, 
and  are  drifting  idly  toward  the  gray 
old  ruins  of  the  forest  stronghold, 
venerable  in  its  departed  grandeur, 
crowned  with  the  wild  legends  and 
historical  associations  that  cluster  around  its 
crumbling  battlements  and  telling  its  story  of  loves 
and  hates,  of  hopes  and  fears,  of  the  ghttering 
pomps  of  warfare,  of  booming  cannon  and  the  roll- 
ing drum,  of  glad  paeans  of  victory,  the  solemn  dirge, 
of  death.  Of  earthly  plans,  of  ambitions  wild,  of  the 
arrogant  assumption  of  puny  man,  and  the  love  of 
forgiving  Nature,  who  tenderly  covers  over  the  scars 
and  hides  the  ruined  hopes  under  a  mantle  of  Uving 
green. 

The  trip  overland  from  Lake  George  to  Lake 
Champlain  cannot,  strictly  speaking,  be  called  a 
green  spot  in  the  memory,  for  my  recollection  of 
the  place  is  that  it  almost  always  rains,  or  has  just 
been  doing  so,  in  which  case  the  spots  are  a  decided 


TiCONDEROGA. 


clay  color ;  but  they  who  fail  to  take  it  in  are,  to 
say  the  least,  unfortunate,  and  miss  one  of  the  finest 
features  of  a  trip  to  Ticonderoga,  for  there  are  more 
recollections  piled  into  the  hour  occupied  in  cross- 
ing than  days  spent  elsewhere. 

Five  great  box-like  stages,  one  baggage  wagon, 
twenty-two  horses  and  six  drivers  waited  for  us  at 
the  foot  of  Lake  George,  as  the  little  steamer  came 
to  rest  against  the  dock,  and  we  passed  out  over 
the  plank  to  the  clay-bespattered  platform,  where 
stood  the  driver-in-chief,  with  always  a  pleasant 
word  or  a  happy  retort  at  his  tongue's  end,  and  a 
fund  of  information  at  the  disposal  of  any  who  might 
take  the  trouble  to  ask  for  it ;  a  genial,  obliging, 
gentlemanly  man ;  the  joy  of  seekers  after  knowl- 
edge ;  the  terror  of  those  who  know  too  much,  and 
the  admiration  of  unprotected  females,  who,  blessed 
with  a  multitude  of  years  and  bundles,  have  been 
robbed  and  execrated  everywhere  else  in  conse- 
quence thereof;  one  who  transports  his  passengers 
with  safety  and  wit,  and  actually  seems  to  think 
them  possessed  of  privileges  which  a  stage  driver 
is  bound  to  respect.  In  short,  it  is  "  Baldwin,"  and 
that  tells  it  all,  for  every  body  knows  him. 

"  Mr.  Baldwin,  I  presume,"  said  a  young  man, 
with  a  smart  air,  approaching  the  veteran. 

"At  your  service,  sir." 

*'  My  name  is  Smith.' 


Baldwinianisms. 


I 


i 

i 


"Ah!  Your  fame  has  preceded  you,  sir;  you 
are  spoken  of  at  some  length  in  the  city  directory. 
Hope  you  are  feeling  well." 

"  Quite  so,  thank  you.  May  I  venture  to  inquire 
how  the  animals  are  getting  along?" 

"  Certainly ;  quite  naturally.  They  are  doing 
v^r}'  well,  considering  the  depth  of  the  mud.  I 
have  been  very  fortunate  so  far,  sir;  never  have 
lost  an  animal  yet,  although  they  often  get  in  out 
of  sight,  in  which  case  we  take  their  bearings,  and 
raise  them  at  our  leisure." 

"  I  do  not  refer  to  your  Jiorses^'  said  the  young 
man,  with  a  quizzical  look  at  the  great,  red  stage, 
and  coming  to  the  point  at  once :  *'  But  do  you 
know,  sir,  that  you  and  your  caravan  remind  me  of 
Barnum  with  his  cages  of  wonderful  wild  animals." 

"  Can't  see  the  least  resemblance,  my  dear  sir," 
said  Baldwin;  "for  Barnum  carries  his  animals 
inside,  while  mine  usually  ride  on  top.  Climb  up, 
if  you  please." 

After  we  were  fairly  under  way  a  gentleman 
asked  Mr.  Baldwin  if  he  was  any  relation  to  the 
Baldwin  apple. 

"  Yes,  sir  :  we  are  first  cousins." 

"Ah!  I  am  delighted  to  know  it.  I'm  Mr. 
Pippin." 

"  Proud  to  make  your  acquaintance,  sir,"  said 
the  Baldwin ;  "  happy  to  know  that  we  both  belong 


■ 


8 


TiCONDEROGA. 


\l 


to  the  same  great  family  ;  but  I  liavc  noticed,  I  am 
sorry  to  say,  that  pippins,  while  outwardly  fair  to 
behold,  are  usually  rotten  at  the  core." 

Pippin  was  dried  apples  for  the  rest  of  the 
journey. 

Immediately  after  the  close  of  the  late  unpleas- 
antness at  the  south  the  country  was  full  of 
shoulder-straps  and  bullion,  and  almost  every  little 
hamlet  boasted  its  General  —  a  Brigadier  at  least. 
One  day,  at  Ticonderoga,  one  of  these  titled  gentle- 
men might  have  been,  and  zvas,  seen  taking  posses- 
sion of  a  top  seat  on  one  of  Baldwin's  stages, 
considerably  elevated,  spiritually  as  well  as  bodily, 
and  evidently  anxious  to  match  his  wit  against  that 
of  the  noted  joker.  He  opened  the  engagement  by 
inquiring  if  Phil  Sheridan  had  not  passed  that  way 
in  his  recent  trip  through  the  country,  and  was 
told  that  he  had. 

"  Well,"  said  he,  "  how  was  the  General  at  the 
time?  he's  rather  given  to  the  demi,  isn't  he? " 

"  Do  you  mean  demi-jo/m  ?  " 

*'Yes!' 

"  Well,  I  don't  know,  but  he  may  be,"  said  Mr. 
Baldwin,  "  its  a  common  affliction  among  my  mili- 
tary passengers." 

"  Come,  come ! "  said  the  General,  producing  a 
pocket-flask,  and  oifering  it,  evidently  feeling  that 


A  Passage  at  Arms. 


.1 


his  opponent's  remarks  were  rathei  pointed,  '•  take 
a  drink,  and  let's  call  it  square." 

'•No,  sir!"  said  he,  "I  do  not  use  the  stuff:  1 
propose  to  live  without  it,  and  die  with  my  wits 
about  me.'* 

**  Very  good,  if  a  man  can't  stand  it,  he'd  better 
not  try.  Yon  are  a  good  man ;  a  moral  man ;  and  a 
rc-markably  good-looking  man,  I  must  confess ;  but, 
say,  how  is  it,  docs  it  take  a  YG-tnarkabty  good-look- 
ing man  to  make  a  stage-driver?" 

"Yes,  sir r*  said  the  remarkably  good-looking 
man,  evidently  on  his  mettle,  "  It  takes  a  man  for  a 
stage-driver,  but  any  thing  under  heaven  will  do 
for  a  General,  now-a-days  !  " 

We  mount  to  the  top  of  the  hill,  where  we  must 
bid  adieu  to  the  silvery  waters,  and  a  lovely  scene 
of  sloping  hillside,  valley  and  mountain,  opens  up 
before  us.  Then  down  the  ..oad  we  go  to  tliC 
corner,  where,  turning  to  cross  the  bridge,  above 
the  falls,  we  pause  a  moment  and  look  around. 

Here  the  waters  of  the  lake  that  have  moved 
sluggishly  along  between  their  low  banks  begin  ta 
ripple  and  gurgle  as  if  they  heard  the  music,  and 
were  hurrying  gleefully  onward  to  join  in  the  glad 
anthem  of  the  sounding  waters  below,  and  pass- 
ing under  the  bridge,  rest  a  moment  in  their 
course,  then,  flashing  and  foaming,  plunge  down- 
ward, in  a  succession  of  leaps,  until  they  rest  under 


lO 


TiCONDEROGA. 


ill 

•:  I 


I] 


the  cloud  of  spray  at  the  bottom.  Now,  singing 
through  the  meadows,  dancing  over  the  stones, 
sweeping  around  to  the  right,  they  go,  ever  hurry- 
ing, never  resting,  until  they  gather  for  their  final 
leap  over  the  outcropping  ledges  at  the  lower  falls 
that  separates  the  mass  of  water  into  threads  of 
shining  silver  and  myriads  of  glittering  pearls. 

Here  is  one  of  the  best  mill  privileges  in  the 
world,  furnished  with  a  uniform  supply  of  water, 
through  drouth  or  flood,  from  the  never  failing 
reservoir  above,  making  a  descent  of  over  two 
hundred  feet  in  going  a  little  more  than  a  mile, 
while  large  vessels  can  be  brought  up  to  the 
very  foot  of  the  lower  falls,  and  laid  against  the 
mills  from  which  to  receive  their  cargoes. 

At  one  time  quite  a  village  existed  here,  rejoicing 
in  the  name  of  Alexandria,  but  the  land  was  owned 
by  an  Englishman,  who  refused  to  sell  without 
exacting  onerous  terms,  such  as  a  reservation  of  all 
ores,  minerals,  etc.,  to  himself  and  heirs  for  all  time 
to  come,  which  has  kept  it  comparatively  unoccu- 
pied. Once,  a  good  many  years  ago,  men  came  to 
look  at  the  falls,  with  intent  to  build,  but,  not  con- 
sidering the  title  good,  they  went  to  Lowell  and 
commenced  the  erection  of  these  immense  factories 
which  have  made  the  place  what  it  is ;  and  thus 
Ticonderoga  lost  its  chance  of  ranking  among 
cities  where  Lowell  does  to-day.     Within  a  year 


Alexandria. 


II 


ir 


or  two,  however,  a  company  from  that  city  has 
erected  a  cotton  factory  at  the  foot  of  the  falls, 
which  will  give  employment  to  nearly  two  hundred 
operatives,  which  state  of  affairs  causes  great  joy 
in  the  breasts  of  the  young  men  thereabout,  and 
Alexandria  is  looking  up  once  more. 

Toward  the  north,  down  where  the  waters  of  the 
lake,  circling  around,  are  joined  by  those  of  Trout 
Brook  from  the  valley  on  the  west,  the  gallant  Lord 
Howe  —  the  life  and  actual  leader  of  Abercrombie's 
unfortunate  expedition  of  1758—  was  killed.  He 
is  described  as  having  been  the  very  personification 
of  boldness  and  enterprise ;  having  but  few  equals 
physically,  anvd  perfectly  at  home  whether  in  the 
halls  of  royalty  or  among  the  sturdy  colonists  — 
the  life  of  every  movement  with  which  he  was  con- 
nected —  and  seeing,  not  the  dress  or  grade,  social 
or  military,  but  the  man,  whether  robed  in  royal 
purple  or  clothed  in  homespun.  He  had  conceived 
a  great  liking  for  Rogers,  admired  him  for  his 
daring  and  skill  as  a  woodsman,  and  often  joined 
him  on  his  expeditions  to  master  the  mysteries 
of  bush  fighting,  and  match  himself  against  the 
wily  red  men  in  their  native  forests. 

A  letter  written  by  one  who  accompanied  the 
expedition  states  that  Lord  Howe  was  with  Put- 
nam, at  the  head  of  the  rangers,  pressing  through 
the  thick  forests  toward  Ticonderoga,  when  they 


12 


TiCONDEROGA. 


I  ■' 


:> 


came  suddenly  upon  a  detachment  of  300  French, 
who,  in  attempting  to  retreat  to  the  fort,  had  lost 
their  way. 

"  Keep  back,  my  lord,"  said  Putnam,  as  they 
advanced  toward  the  enemy ;  "  you  are  the  idol 
and  soul  of  the  army,  while  mj^  life  is  worth  but 
little." 

"  Putnam,"  was  Howe's  answer,  "  your  life  is  as 
dear  to  you  as  mine  is  to  me.  I  am  determined  to  go.' 

At  the  first  fire  Lord  Howe  fell,  and  the  whole 
English  army  was  thrown  into  confusion,  the  regu- 
lars pressing  back  on  those  behind  in  a  way  that, 
for  a  time,  threatened  a  complete  rout.  The 
rangers,  taking  refuge  behind  trees,  fought  on 
after  the  Indian  fashion,  until  the  main  body  ral- 
lied and  returned  to  the  charge,  this  time  sweeping 
the  French  before  them  with  great  slaughter,  kill- 
ing one-third  of  their  number  and  taking  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  prisoners. 

The  death  of  Howe  seemed  to  paralyze  the 
men  for  a  time,  who,  confused  and  disheartened  by 
their  loss,  returned  to  the  landing  or  bivouacked  on 
the  field  until  the  next  day,  when  they  advanced 
upon  the  French  lines. 

Crossing  the  bridge  we  proceed  on  our  way,  and, 
soon  turning  again  toward  the  north,  commence 
descending  the  long  hill  that  leads  down  to  the 
village  of  Ticonderoga. 


TiCONDEROGA   ROADS. 


13 


as 


Many  admire  the  surrounding  country,  but  no 
one  goes  into  ecstacies  over  the  roads.  We  are 
not,  apparently,  educated  up  to  it ;  but  if  the 
lamented  Captain  Jack  could  come  here  when  the 
clay  has  hardened  into  rock,  and  gaze  down  into 
the  yawning  depths  of  the  cavernous  ruts,  his 
bones  would  leap  for  joy,  thinking  that  they  were 
once  more  among  the  lava  beds  of  the  Modoc 
country.  Then,  when  it  has  been  raining,  and  the 
rock  softens,  all  idol?  have  feet  of  clay,  and  it  does 
not  require  such  a  wonderful  stretch  of  faith  to 
believe  that  you  are  actually  made  of  the  dust  of 
the  earth,  for  there  is  indisputable  proof  all  over 
you. 

Clay  to  the  right  of  them  ; 
Clay  to  the  left  of  them  ; 
Front,  back  and  top  of  'em. 
Slippery  and  squashy. 

Sticky  doesn't  half  express  the  agony  —  it  meets 
you  half  way  every  time  ;  it  works  steadily  up 
your  legs ;  it  clings  to  your  boots,  building  out 
at  the  sides,  piling  up  and  rolling  over  on  top, 
in  front,  behind  —  every  way.  Occasionally,  when 
you  are  exerting  yourself  to  lift  a  foot,  it  will 
break  off  in  great  masses  so  unexpectedly 
that  you  nearly  go  over  on  the  other  side ;  then 
load  up  again,  and  increasing  in  size  and  weight 
until  in  general  appearance  and  style  of  handling 
(if  a  person  may  be  properly  said  to  handle   his 


u 


TiCONDEROGA. 


1 

I* 


lis 


(  : 


feet)  they  resemble  those  of  the  agile  elephant,  and 
you  cease  to  wonder  that  flies  walk  fearlessly  on 
the  ceiling,  if  the  suction  on  their  pedal  extremities 
is  any  thing  like  that  of  yours  in  Ticonderoga  clay. 
Great  masses  revolve  ponderously  over  on  the 
wheels;  the  coaches  are  painted,  striped  and  var- 
nished with  it,  the  drivers  are  covered,  and  the 
horses  look  like  clay  models  of  that  noble  beast. 

The  stages  halted  in  a  cluster  when  part  way 
down  the  hill,  and  looking  around  to  see  the  cause 
of  the  stoppage  we  beheld  a  Websterian  form 
(some  suggested  that  it  was  more  Clay  than  Web- 
ster—  from  the  knees  down)  mounted  on  a  ros- 
tral pile  of  stones,  and  thus  the  orator  spake  : 

"  Ladies  and  gentlemen,  you  will  see,  if  you 
please,  on  your  left,  a  great  natural  curiosity  —  an 
oak  and  an  elm  growing  from  one  stump ;  you  can 
see  by  the  bark  and  by  the  leaves  that  there  is  no 
mistake  about  it ;  it  is  truly  a  g-r-e-a-t  n-a-t-u-r-a-I 
c-u-r-i-o-s-i-t-y ;  and  what  God  has  joined  together 
let  not  man  put  asunder ;  drive  on  your  horses." 

"  Ho/d  on !"  shouted  a  confident  young  blood,  who 
saw  a  chance  of  turning  the  laugh  on  the  renowned 
joker. 

"  Woa !  woa !  what's  up  ?" 

With  a  majestic  wave  of  the  hand,  in  imitation 
of  the  speaker  who  had  preceded  him,  he  said  : 

"  You  will  behold,  if  you  please,  on  the  right. 


■^ 


A  Great  Natural  Curiositv. 


15 


another  g-r-e-a-t  n-a-t-u-r-a-1  c-u-r-i-o-s-i-t-y ;  a 
juvenile  specimen  of  the  bovine  race  —  " 

"  Young  man,"  said  Baldwin,  sternly  "  that's  a 
calf.  No  great  curiosity  to  any  one  who  has  seen 
you.     Drive  on,  George." 

This  curious  tree  spoken  of  has  a  smooth,  round 
body,  which,  a  little  above  the  surface,  separates 
into  two  distinct  species,  as  stated  by  Mr.  Baldwin, 
who,  on  being  asked  how  he  accounted  for  the 
phenomenon,  allowed  that  it  was  "  because  it  grew 
on  good  union  soil." 

"  Ruins !  ruins !  Let  us  roam,"  said  a  gentleman 
who  seemed  to  be  afflicted  with  a  defective  vision 
and  a  poetic  temperament.  "  Fit  emblem  of  the 
poor,  weak  mortals  who  here  strove  for  fame,  and 
now  forgotten  lie  in  unknown  graves ;  while  Time, 
the  great  leveler,  passes,  and  the  mighty  walls  of 
Ticonderoga  crumble  away  into  the  dust ;  —  and,  I 
say,  driver,  can  you  show  us  the  underground  pas- 
sage that  we  hear  so  much  talk  about  ?" 

"  Yes,  sir,  when  we  get  there ;  I  should  be  very 
happy.  This  is  not  the  ruins,  however,  but  the 
thriving  little  village  of  Ticonderoga.  A  little 
dirty,  I  must  admit,  owing  to  the  conditions  of  the 
roads,  but  a  pretty  little  village,  indeed,  when  it 
gets  washed  up." 

The  village  has  a  thrifty  look;  contains  about 
1,500  inhabitants,  three  or  four  churches,  schools, 


i6 


TiCONDEROGA. 


1 1 


1 


an  academy,  woolen  factory  —  noted  for  producing 
a  remarkably  good  quality  of  cloth  —  two  hotels, 
several  stores,  black  lead  mill,  etc. ;  soil  very  pro- 
ductive and  roads  —  characteristic. 

We  pass  through  the  village,  across  the  bridge, 
turn  toward  the  right,  descend  a  steep  little  pitch 
to  the  flat  below,  and  circling  around  to  the  other 
side  climb  the  hill,  halting  at  intervals  that  the 
panting  horses  may  get  breath  for  a  fresh  pull  at 
the  heavy  stages. 

Glancing  backward  we  see  the  lovely  little 
village ;  its  white  houses  and  church  spires  gleam- 
ing through  the  dark  green  foliage  of  oaks,  shut  in 
by  mountains  that  come  down  round  about  on 
every  side ;  the  divided  falls  flashing  and  foaming 
white,  with  a  foreground  of  waving  grasses  and 
lily-pads ;  while  through  the  reedy  flat  comes  the 
stream,  winding  gently  onward  to  where  it  mingles 
with  the  waters  of  Champlain,  under  the  gray  walls 
of  Ticonderoga. 

Arriving  at  the  top  of  the  hill  we  find  a  broad 
plateau,  along  which,  in  a  south-easterly  direction, 
we  go,  and  entering  a  field  through  a  gate,  which 
is  opened  by  a  muddy  little  boy,  are  upon  the 
bloody  battle  ground  in  front  of  the  old  French 
hnes. 


ABERCROMBIE'S  DEFEAT. 


LITTLE  after  noon,  on  the  8th  of 
July,  1758,  the  order  was  given  to 
advance,  and  the  English  army  swept 
forward  "into  the  jaws  of  death"  to 
attack  the  French,  who  were  securely 
entrenched  behind  high  breastworks ; 
while  extending  out  in  front  for  a  hundred  yards 
oak  trees  had  been  felled,  and  lay  with  the  branches 
sharpened,  and  pointing  outward.  Up  to  this  the 
English  marched,  and  endeavored  to  force  theif 
way,  while  a  steady  fire  from  the  enemy  cut  lanes 
and  alleys  through  their  columns,  and  swept  them 
away  like  leaves  before  the  whirlwind. 

Three  times  did  the  Scotch  Highlanders  cut  their 
way  to  the  very  summit  of  the  ramparts,  and  while 
some,  toppling  over,  pierced  with  man}-  wounds, 
fell  fighting  to  the  last,  the  rest  borne  back  by  the 
furious  storm  of  iron  which  flew  from  that  line 
of  fire,  retreated  sullenly  to  re-form  for  another 
advance. 

For  four  hours,  under  the  hot  July  sun,  this 
unequal  contest  lasted,  the  English  columns 
advancing  like  waves   of   the  ocean,   to   dash   in 


i8 


TiCONDEROGA. 


impotent  fury  upon  that  terrific  shore  of  death, 
and,  breaking,  recede  in  rivulets  of  blood.  The 
recall  sounded  at  last,  and  they  retreated  in  dis- 
order—  frightened  when  no  man  pursueth  —  to 
their  boats  at  Lake  George,  where  they  re-em- 
barked, and  returned  to  Fort  William  Henry  with- 
out bringing  a  cannon  to  bear  on  the  enemy. 

Abercrombie  reported  588  killed  and  missing, 
and  1,356  wounded.  Of  this  number  the  Forty- 
second  Highlanders  alone  lost,  killed  and  wounded, 
over  600,  including  all  but  two  of  its  officers. 
The  loss  would  have  been  much  greater  if  there 
had  been  a  force  of  Indians  for  Montcalm  to  set 
after  the  fugitives  ;  but,  luckily,  there  were  but 
sixteen  in  the  fort  at  the  time.  The  French  force 
engaged  was  3,458;  loss,  271  wounded;  197  killed 
and  missing. 

At  its  close  Montcalm,  who  had  stood  with  his 
coat  off  throughout  the  entire  engagement,  direct- 
ing the  movements  of  his  men,  made  the  proud 
boast  that,  with  a  half  dozen  guns  and  two  mortars, 
he  could  take  Carillon  without  the  loss  of  a  man, 
thinking,  probably,  of  Mount  Defiance ;  but  Aber- 
crombie did  not  seem  to  think  of  that,  although  he 
had  that  very  day  sent  an  engineer  to  reconnoitre, 
and  Gen.  Johnson,  with  600  Indians,  occupied,  and 
from  its  summit  were  silent  spectators  of  the  scene 
below. 


The  Muddy  Little  Boy. 


19 


When  Abercrombie  ordered  the  advance,  he 
took  up  his  position  at  the  saw-mills,  a  mile  in  the 
rear  (a  post  of  great  danger  in  case  the  roof  should 
happen  to  fall  in),  where  he  valiantly  remained 
until  a  retreat  was  decided  upon,  when,  with  un- 
paralleled bravery,  he  gallantly  lead  the  advance 
toward  home. 

The  muddy  little  '  oy  who  opened  the  gate  for 
us  was  not  there  at  that  time.  It  is  to  be  deeply 
regretted  that  such  was  the  case ;  for,  if  he  had 
been,  and  firmly  refused  to  allow  them  to  enter 
without  a  permit  from  the  Pell  heirs,  thereby  com- 
pelling the  brilliant  General  to  take  some  other 
road  to  reach  the  battle-ground,  we  would  not  now 
be  called  upon  to  chronicle  the  sad  event ;  but  the 
M.  L.  B.  was  not  there.  There  were  no  reliable 
guide-books  out  at  the  time,  and  as  Baldwin  utterly 
refused  to  carry  the  army  over  for  a  single  cent 
less  than  the  regular  fare,  they  waded  ;  and  the 
result  should  be  a  warning  to  any  who  are  base 
enough  to  insinuate  that  the  hills  are  not  the  oiJy 
steep  things  on  the  route. 

We  cross  the  "  old  French  lines,"  full  of  angles, 
fronted  by  a  deep  ditch,  and  extending  through  the 
woods  to  the  water  on  either  side,  past  two  or 
three  redouts,  and,  where  the  cars  shoot  through 
the  hill  beneath  us,  come  in  sight  of  the  ruins,  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  distant. 


20 


TiCONDEROGA. 


r  I 

I 


Wliat  memories  cluster  around  the  gray  old 
promontory?  What  a  history  is  thine,  oh,  crumb- 
ling Ticonderoga?  Enough  for  another  chapter! 
So,  let  us  hasten  to  the  hotel,  down  among  the 
locusts,  where  a  good  dinner  is  awaiting,  after 
which  we  can  moralize,  and  paw  among  the  ruins 
to  our  heart's  content ;  but,  stop !  Behold  a  tower- 
ing form  standing,  proudly  erect,  on  that  pile  of 
stones,  and  snuffing  in  inspiration  by  the  quart! 
Baldwin  is  himself  once  more!  and  the  very 
heavens  seem  to  stoop  down  to  listen,  to  his  fare- 
well flights  of  fancy.  How  magnificently  he 
spreads  his  wings,  and  soars  away  from  the  sor- 
rowful past  into  the  glorious  future,  mounting  away 
up,  up,  among  the  glittering  constellation  of  stars 
—  and  stripes,  one  and  inseparable  —  of  America's 
coming  greatness  —  at,  including  the  ride,  seventy- 
five  cents  per  head. 

And  right  here  let  us  pause  in  our  gayety  to 
drop  a  silent  tear  for  one  whose  life  has  been 
overshadowed  by  a  great  earthly  affliction.  Many 
anecdotes  are  told  illustrative  of  his  readiness  to 
reply.  The  only  instance  on  record  where  he 
failed  was  on  the  occasion  of  General  Sherman's 
passage  through  the  lake  in  1871.  He  had  enter- 
tained the  company  with  his  usual  historical  flights 
of  fancy  along  the  road,  and  was  introduced  to  the 
General,  by  Captain  Babbitt  as  "  Captain  Baldwin." 


A  Great  Affliction. 


31 


As  the  boat  moved  away,  he  proposed  three 
cheers  for  the  "  Hero  of  Atlanta !  "  General  Sher- 
man, not  to  be  outdone,  stepped  out  from  the  com- 
pany, and  said : 

"  Captain  Baldwin !  I  promote  you  to  Colonel 
for  meritorious  conduct  on  the  old  battle-ground." 

The  great  stage  man  was  not  prepared  for  that. 
The  unexpected  honor  was  too  much  for  him,  and, 
for  the  first  time  in  his  life  (when  talking  with  a 
man),  he  failed  to  get  in  the  last  word.  The  horrid 
conviction  of  the  fact  forced  itself  upon  him  when 
too  late,  and  he  stood,  gazing  helplessly  at  the 
departing  boat,  until  his  faithful  drivers,  gathering 
near,  asked,  in  tones  of  sweet  sympathy,  whether 
he  intended  to  ride  back  or  wade.  Then  they 
gently  led  the  stricken  man  to  the  waiting  stages, 
and  bore  him  back  to  his  home.  Tenderly  they 
put  him  in  his  little  bed;  lovingly  they  watched 
over  him,  while  pitying  neighbors  gathered  tear- 
fully around  the  sufferer,  whose  spirit,  for  many, 
many  days,  seemed  just  hovering  between  this 
world  and  Ticonderoga ;  then  he  was  snatched 
away  from  the  fell  destroyer,  and  once  more 
appeared  in  the  old,  familiar  places ;  but,  alas !  he 
went  forth  a  changed  man.  He  had  learned  the 
lesson  of  life  ;  and  since  that  fearful  day  has  ceased 
to  be  surprised  at  any  thing.  Even  when  he  offered 
President  Grant  a  handful  of  cigars,  and  he  took 


22 


TiCONDFKOr.A. 


I 


l)ut  one,  the  shock  was  but  momentary,  and  he  soon 
recovered  from  its  eflccts.  Alas !  No  more  shall 
we  hear  his  ringinj^  shout  of  joy !  but  the  sad, 
sweet  smile,  tliat  illumines  his  face,  grows  more 
spiritiicl  as  the  years  drag  slowly  by.     Ah  ! 

"  Few  know  how  great  a  thini;  it  is  to  sufTcr,  and  be  strong^ ! " 

Soon,  very  soon,  will  he  be  done  with  his  earthly 
wanderings,  and  his  spirit  looks  forward  with  a  joy 
that  few  can  know  to  the  happy  moment  when, 
bidding  adieu  to  the  well-remembered  scenes  of 
his  pilgrimage  here  below,  he  will  brush  the  clay 
from  off  his  garments,  and,  with  a  new  song  in  his 
mouth  and  a  punch  in  his  hand,  soar  away  over 
the  Lake  George  and  Ticonderoga  Railroad,  a 
blissful,  free  conductor. 


DISCOVERIES. 

A    RKTKOSl'MCT. 

vS  the  (listoncc  to  a  certain  stir 
is  ascertained  by  the  science  of 
trianf^uhition  —  fintlin<^  its  rela- 
tive position  in  the  heavens  as 
viewed  from  different  places  in 
the  earth's  orbit,  so  must  wc 
go  back  a  little  way  and  note  a 
few  important  points  in  history 
to  enable  us  understandingly 
to  place  in  time  the  history  of 

this  particular  locality. 

In  the  year  one  Adam  and  Eve  discovered  the 

garden  of  Eden  and  began  business. 

A  few  hundred  years  later  Noah  built  an  ark-itec- 

tural  craft,  and,  combining  business  with  pleasure, 

went  on  a  voyage  of  discovery,  being  the  first  man 


of  whom  we  have  any  record  as  traveling  with  a 
menagerie.  He  was  not  very  well  patronized, 
however,  on  account  of  the  Black  Croo^:,  which 


■ 


111 


t 


24 


TiCONDEROGA. 


was  having  an  unprecedented  run  at  that  time ; 
and  although  he  advertised  it  extensively  for  a  hun- 
dred and  twentv  years,  he  only  got  together  an 
audience  oi"  seven  beside  himself,  and  all  dead- 
heads at  that.  So  one  time,  when  he  accidentally 
got  aground,  he  was  discouraged  (Barnum  wouldn't 
have  been,  but  he  was),  gave  up  the  show  business, 
settled  on  Mount  Ararat,  and  went  into  the  liquor 
trade. 

The  next  discovery  (let  us  say 
it  reverently,  for  the  bright  an- 
gels assisted,  and  beside  it  all 
others  are  as  naught)  was  made 
by  the  wise  men  of  the  east,  who 
found  in  a  manger  a  little  baby 
form,  within  which  trembled 
the  sweet  spirit  of  the  Savior  of  mankind. 

Then  a  thousand  years  went  by,  and,  tradition 
says,  the  northmen  came  to  the  shores  of  the  west- 
ern continent,  and  sailing  as  far  south  as  Rhode 
Island  attempted  to  settle  there  ;  then  they  drifted 
back  again,  and  the  country  was  as  though  it  had 
never  been  seen. 

In  1492  America  was  discovered  some  more  by 
C.  Columbus,  who  attained  to  considerable  local 
notoriety  thereby.  All  young  men  should  copy 
after  this  great  and  good  man  —  now,  alas,  deceased 
—  and  discover  new  countries. 


Columbus. 


2$ 


It  is  true,  all  do  not  possess  the  advantages  which 
he  did,  and  cannot  expect  to  do  as  well ;  but  all 
can  ^rjf.  It  is  a  subject  to  which  the  author  has 
given  considerable,  deep,  exhaustive  study,  and, 
while  he  venerates  the  old  chap  hugely  for  what  he 
did,  justice  to  another  compels  him  to  say  that 
Chris,  has  been  greatly  over-honored,  and  that  the 
actual  discoverer  of  America  was  his  mother-in- 
law.     Not  that  she  really  saw  it  ivii/i  her  oivn  eyes. 


but  history  positively  states  that  she  "  gave  him  the 
privilege  of  examining  the  charts  and  journals  of 
her  deceased  husband,"  which  led  to  the  glorious 
results  above  mentioned,  and  for  which  she  should 
have  the  credit.  This  point  seems  to  have  escaped 
the  notice  of  all  other  historians.  To  a  reflecting 
mind  it  affords  food  for  serious  contemplation,  con- 
veying, as  it  does,  a  great,  double-barreled  lesson  ; 
for,  while  it  should  induce  all  young  ladies  to  aim 
at  the  honorable  distinction  of  becoming  what  she 
was  —  viewing  from  a  distance,  which  always 
lends  enchantment  to  the  view  (of  mothers-in-law) 
—  it  should  teach  us  the  lesson  ot  greater  toleration 
toward  that  interesting  class. 

3 


26 


TiCONDEROGA. 


In  1497  John  Cabot  saw  Labrador  or  the  island 
of  **  New-found-land." 

In  1524  Verrazani  explored  the  Atlantic  coast 
from  Delaware  to  New  Foundland,  and  gave  it  the 
name  of  "  New  France." 

In  1534  James  Cartier  entered  the  mouth  of  the 
St.  Lawrence,  and  the  following  year  sailed  up  the 
river  to  a  large  Indian  settlement,  called  "  Hoche- 
laga;"  but  the  hotel  accommodations  being  no 
better,  if  as  good  as  at  present,  he  returned  to 
France,  naming  the  place  Mount  Royal  —  now 
Montreal. 

In  1607  the  first  permanent  English  settlement 
on  the  new  continent  was  commenced,  the 
original  and  only  true  John  Smith  assisting,  and  it 
was  called  Jamestown.  Smith,  who  seems  to  have 
been  quite  a  tourist  in  his  day,  and  given  to 
wandering  about  making  discoveries,  had,  on  one 
of  his  excursions,  a  little  misunderstanding  with  a 
wealthy  native  land-owner,  named  Powhattan.  Mr. 
P.,  being  endowed  with  a  large  heart  and  very 
liberal  ideas,  and  thinking  to  settle  the  difficulty  in 
the  easiest  manner  possible,  at  the  same  time  dis- 
seminating knowledge  by  scattering  said  Smith's 
well-stored  brains,  had  him  placed  in  the  position 
best  adapted  to  the  satisfactory  accomplishment  of 
the  same.  At  this  very  interesting  juncture,  his 
daughter,  the  youthful  Pocahontas,  cast  an  implor- 


The  Pocahontas-Smith  Affair. 


27 


ing  look  on  her  father  and  her  protecting  form  on 
Smith.    The  old  gentleman  was  touched,  and  con- 


sented to  forego  his  little  joke  to  please  the  fair 
girl,  who  had  but  just  made  her  debut.  Smith  re- 
turned to  his  home,  since  which  time  every  body 
has  been  naming  their  children  after  him  as  a  pro- 
tection against  Indians.  Pocahontas  ought  to  have 
married  him  to  make  the  romance  complete,  but 
she  did  not.  She  became  the  wife  of  an  EnglRh 
gentleman,  and,  under  that  severe  affliction,  joined 
the  church,  taking  the  name  of  Rebecca.  Her 
descendants  are  now  found  among  the  F.  F.  V.'s. 

December  21,  1620,  the  pilgrims  were  discovered 
sitting' on  Plymouth  Rock,  apparently  lost.  Winter, 
which,  in  that  favored  locality,  commences  on  the 
first  of  August  and  continues  until  the  latter  part 
of  July,  had  fairly  set  in,  and  the  rock  was  very 
cold ;  so  they  got  down  and  skirmished  around  for 
something  to  eat.  Luckily  they  found  a  quantity 
of  corn,  which  Providence,  assisted  by  some  of  the 


i 


\  -^i 


28 


TiCONDEROGA. 


natives,  had  concealed  in  the  sand  near  by,  and 
which  enabled  them  to  worr}'   through      (As  a 


proof  of  Darwinianism,  it  may  be  well  to  state 
here  that  they  came  from  the  May^ower,  which  is 
going  further  back  than  the  monkey  even,  and  out- 
Darwins  Darwin  himself.)  They  were  so  exces- 
sively liberal-minded  as  to  insist  on  every  body  else 
being  liberal,  also,  which  occasioned  a  misunder- 
standing with  one  Roger  Williams,  who  promul- 
gated the  pernicious  doctrine  that  the  "  bivil  power 
had  no  right  to  control  the  religious  opinions  of 
men."  This  was  too  much  bigotry  for  them  to 
swallow,  and  they  very  properly  invited  him  to  go. 
He  accepted  the  invitation,  and  fenced  in  a  little 
farm  further  south,  which  (Rodge  was  a  plain  man, 
and  easily  satisfied)  has  since  been  known  as  Rhode 
Island. 

Eleven  years  before  the  pilgrims  land<id,  Henry 
Hudson,  an  English  captain  of  a  Dutch  junk 
called  the  "  Semi-luna,"  discovered  and  ascended 


CiiAMPLAiN's  Battle,  1609.  29 

the  river  that  row  bears  his  name ;  whereupon 
England  laid  claim  to  the  country  because  of  his 
being  an  Englishman,  and  the  Dutch  on  the 
strength  of  the  ship  in  which  he  sailed.  Between 
the  two  it  grew  to  be  an  English  colony,  with 
Dutch  inhabitants,  who  gave  its  largest  town  the 
name  of  New  Amsterdam  ;  afterward  changed  to 
New  York.     It  still  stands. 

The  same  year  a  representative  of  the  French 
nation,  Champlain,  accompanying  a  war  party  of 
Hurons  and  Algonquins  against  the  Iroquois, 
sailed  south  on  the  lake  which  he  named  after 
himself,  then  called  by  a  jaw-breaking  Indian  title, 
which,  interpreted,  means  "the  lake  that  is  the 
gate  of  the  country."  We  copy  his  graphic 
account  of  the  first  battle  that  occurred  near  this 
place  in  which  Europeans  took  a  hand  : 

"  I  left  the  rapids  of  the  river  of  the  Iroquois  on 
the  2d  of  July,  1609.  *  *  *  On  coming  within 
two  or  three  days'  journey  of  the  enemy's  quar- 
ters, we  traveled  only  by  night  and  rested  by 
day.     *     *     * 

"At  nightfall  we  embarked  in  our  canoes  to  con- 
tinue our  journey,  and,  as  we  advanced  very  softly 
and  noiselessly,  we  encountered  a  war  party  of 
Iroquois  on  the  29th  of  the  month,  about  ten  o'clock 
at  night,  at  the  point  of  a  cape  w^hich  puts  into  the 
lake  on  the  west  side.     They  and  we  began  to  shout, 


w 


30 


TiCONDEROGA. 


each  seizing  his  arms.  We  withdrew  toward  the 
water,  and  the  Iroquois  repaired  on  shore  and 
arranged  all  their  canoes,  the  one  beside  the  other, 
and  began  to  hew  down  trees,  with  villainous  axes, 
which  they  sometimes  got  in  war,  and  others  of 
stone,  and  fortified  themselves  very  securely. 

"  Our  party,  likewise,  kept  their  canoes  arranged 
the  one  alongside  the  other,  tied  to  poles  so  as  not 
to  run  adrift,  in  order  to  fight  all  together,  should 
need  be.  We  were  on  the  water,  about  an  arrow- 
shot  from  their  barricades.  When  they  were  armed 
and  in  order,  they  sent  two  canoes  from  the  fleet  to 
know  if  their  enemies  wished  to  fight;  who 
answered  that  they  *  desired  nothing  else,'  but  that 
just  then  there  was  not  much  light,  and  we  must 
wait  for  day  to  distinguish  each  other,  and  that  they 
would  give  us- battle  at  sunrise.  This  was  agreed 
to  by  our  party.  Meanwhile  the  whole  night  was 
spent  in  dancing  and  singing,  as  well  on  one  side  as 
on  the  other,  mingled  with  an  infinitude  of  insults 
and  other  taunts,  such  as  the  little  courage  they 
had,  how  powerless  their  resistance  against  their 
arms,  and  that  when  day  would  break,  they  should 
experience  this  to  their  ruin.  Ours,  likewise,  did 
rot  fail  in  repartee ;  telling  them  they  should  wit- 
ness the  effects  of  arms  they  had  never  seen  before, 
and  a  multitude  of  other  speeches  as  is  usual  at  a 
siege  of  a  town.    After  the  one  and  the  other  had 


Champlain's  Battle,  1609.  31 

sung,  danced  and  parliamented  enough,  day  broke. 
My  companions  and  I  were  always  concealed,  for 
fear  the  enemy  should  see  us,  preparing  our  arms  the 
best  we  could,  being,  however,  separated,  each  in 
one  of  the  canoes.  After  being  equipped  with  light 
armor,  we  took  each  an  arquebus  and  went  ashore. 
1  saw  the  enemies  leave  their  barricade ;  they  were 
about  200  men,  of  strong  and  robust  appearance, 
who  were  coming  slowly  toward  us,  with  a  gravity 
and  assurance  which  greatly  pleased  me,  led  on  by 
three  chiefs.  Ours  were  inarching  in  similar  order, 
and  told  me  that  those  who  bore  three  lofty  plumes 
were  the  chiefs,  and  that  there  were  but  these  three, 
and  they  were  to  be  recognized  by  those  plumes 
which  were  considerably  larger  than  those  of  their 
companions  and  that  I  must  do  all  I  could  to  kill 
them.  I  promised  to  do  what  I  could,  and  that  I 
was  very  sorry  they  could  not  clearly  understand 
me,  so  as  to  give  them  the  order  and  plan  of  attack- 
ing their  enemies,  as  we  should  indubitably  defeat 
them  all;  but  there  was  no  help  for  that;  that  I 
was  very  glad  to  encourage  them,  and  to  manifest 
to  them  my  good  will  when  we  should  be  engaged. 
"  The  moment  we  landed  they  began  to  run 
about  two  hundred  paces  toward  their  enemies, 
who  stood  firm,  and  had  not  yet  perceived  my 
companions,  who  went  into  the  bush  with  some 
savages.     Ours  commenced  calling  me  in  a  loud 


¥ 


il 


32 


TiCONDEROGA. 


.: 


|)td 


voice,  and  making  way  for  me,  opened  in  two,  and 
placed  me  at  their  head,  marching  about  twenty 
paces  in  advance  until  I  was  within  thirty  paces 
of  the  enemy,  ^ 

"  The  moment  they  saw  me  they  halted,  gazing 
at  me  and  I  at  them.  When  I  saw  them  preparing 
to  shoot  at  us  I  raised  my  arquebus,  and  aiming 
directly  at  one  of  the  three  chiefs,  two  of  them 
fell  to  the  ground  by  this  shot,  and  one  of  their 
companions  received  a  wound,  of  which  he  died 
afterward.  I  had  put  four  balls  in  my  arquebus. 
Ours,  in  witnessing  a  shot  so  favorable  to  them,  set 
up  such  tremendous  shouts  that  thunder  could  not 
have  been  heard ;  and  yet  there  was  no  lack  of 
arrows  on  one  side  and  the  other.  The  Iroquois 
were  greatly  astonished,  seeing  two  men  killed  so 
instantaneously,  notwithstanding  they  were  pro- 
vided with  arrow-proof  armor  woven  of  cotton 
thread  and  wood.  This  frightened  them  very 
much.  Whilst  I  was  reloading,  one  of  my  com- 
panions in  the  bush  fired  a  shot  which  so  aston- 
ished them  anew,  seeing  their  chiefs  slain,  that 
they  lost  courage,  took  to  flight  and  abandoned 
the  field  and  their  fort,  hiding  themselves  in  the 
depths  of  the  forest,  whither  pursuing  them  I 
killed  some  others.  Our  savages  also  killed  sev- 
eral of  them,  and  took  ten  or  twelve  prisoners. 
The  rest  carried  off  the  wounded.     Fifteen  or  six- 


liii 


ces 


Champlain's  Battle,  1609. 


33 


teen  of  ours  were  wounded  by  arrows ;  they  were 
promptly  cured. 

"After  having  gained  the  victory  they  amused 
themselves  plundering  Indian  corn  and  meal  from 
the  enemy  ;  also  their  arms,  which  they  had  thrown 
down  in  order  to  run  the  better.  And  having 
feasted,  sung  and  danced,  we  returned,  three  hours 
after,  with  the  prisoners. 

"The  place  where  the  battle  was  fought  is  43 
degrees  some  minutes  latitude,  and  I  named  it 
Lake  Cham  plain." 

It  is  probable  that  "  the  point  of  a  cape  which 
puts  into  the  lake  on  the  west  side,"  was  Ticonder- 
oga,  and  the  place  where  the  battle  occurred  the 
flat  just  north  of  the  old  promontory,  which  is 
situated  about  43  degrees,  35  minutes,  N.  latitude.- 


CARILLON. 


lESKAU  moved  from  Fort  St.  Fred- 
crick  ill  the  summer  of  1755  to  fortify 
Ticonderoj^a,  as  a  protection  against 
Johnson's  force,  then  marching  toward 
Crown  Point ;  but,  hearing  that  he  was 
then  at  the  head  of  Lake  George  with 
the  greater  part  of  his  force,  leaving  Fort  Lyman 
(Edward)  in  a  defenseless  condition,  the  brave  old 
baron,  whose  motto  was  "  valor  wins,"  decided  to 
advance  upon  it  at  once.  The  result  of  the  move- 
ment is  detailed  in  the  account  of  the  battle  of 
Lake  George.  At  that  time  he  commenced  a  forti- 
fication, which  was  completed  the  ensuing  year, 
and  called  "Carillon,"  meaning  music,  racket, 
a  chime  of  bells,  perhaps  suggested  by  the  per- 
petual chiming  of  the  **  sounding  waters"  near  by. 
The  Indian  name  of  Ticonderoga  has  been  vari- 
ously spelled,  owing,  probably,  to  the  known  diffi- 
culty of  finding  just  the  right  letter  to  express  a 
certain  sound  in  a  different  tongue  from  our  own. 
The  word  seems  to  mean  the  meeting  of  waters, 
rather  than  the  explanation  usually  given  of  **  sound- 
ing waters,"  which  may  have  been  the  name  of  the 
falls  above,  but  not  of  the  old  promontory,  for  the 


Fort  Ticonderoga. 


35 


Indians  always  p^avc  names  that  meant  something, 
and  had  some  peculiar  fitness  to  the  thing  named. 
Tio-f!;cn  meant  "  the  junction  of  two  waters ;"  Dcca- 
riaderoga  "  the  junction  of  lakes  of  two  different 
(lualitics."  In  Fownell's  map,  published  in  London 
in  1774,  it  is  marked  Chcondcroga,  and  the  explana- 
tion given  is  "  three  rivers."  Golden,  writing  in 
1765,  says:  "  These  names,  though  supposed  to  be 
proper  names  of  places,  are,  really,  common  names 
in  the  Indian  language,  signifying  a  river  or  hill, 
or  fall  of  water.  Thus  Tiendcroga,  though  to  us 
the  proper  name  of  the  fort  between  Lake  George 
and  Lake  Champlain,  signifies  the  place  where  two 
rivers  meet,  and  many  places  are  called  by  that  name 
in  the  Indian  language." 

In  1757  Montcalm  went  out  from  the  stronghold 
to  the  attack  of  Fort  William,  and  returned  victo- 
rious, but  the  leaves  in  his  crown  of  laurel  dripped 
with  the  blood  of  helpless  women  and  children. 

In  1758  General  Abercrombie  made  his  unsuc- 
cessful attack,  and  the  following  year  Amherst 
entrenched  before  the  old  French  lines,  and  pre- 
pared to  lay  seige  to  the  fort.  The  French,  finding 
that  they  could  not  hope  to  successfully  resist, 
abandoned  the  works  on  the  night  of  the  twenty- 
sixth  of  July,  setting  fire  to  them  as  they  went. 
The  flames  soon  communicated  with  the  shells  and 
loaded  guns,  which  kept  up  a  continuous  discharge 


3<5 


TiCONDEROOA. 


for  some  time  ;  then  the  English  advanced  and  took 
possession,  finding  no  enemy  to  resist,  save  the  fire, 
which  was  soon  extinguished.  The  French  re- 
treated down  the  lake,  leaving  Fort  St.  Frederick 
also  in  possession  of  the  English,  who  enlarged 
and  strengthened  them  on  a  scale  of  great  magnifi- 
cence, but  never  a  shot  or  shell  sped  from  the 
costly  embrasures  against  an  advancing  enemy ; 
while  time  passed,  and,  touching  the  massive  walls, 
they,  piece  by  piece,  fell  away,  and  for  want  of  an 
object  were  never  repaired,  so  that,  when  the 
cloud  which  had  so  long  threatened,  burst,  and  the 
colonies  were  at  war  with  the  mother  country,  they 
scarcely  afforded  protection  for  the  company  of  lazy 
red  coats  composing  the  garison  at  the  time. 


ETHAN  ALLKN. 

ilK  (lucstion  as  to  who  originated  the 
idea  of  capturing  Ticonderoga  has 
provoked  much  discussion,  and  it  is 
not  to  be  wondered  at,  if  the  same 
tnought  was  suggested  to  the  minds 
of  several  at  the  same  time ;  but  John 
Brown  seems  to  have  been  the  first  to  make  a 
movement  in  that  direction.  He  had  passed 
through  the  New  Hampshire  settlements  about 
the  beginning  of  March,  1775,  and  wrote  to 
Samuel  Adams  and  Joseph  Warren  at  Boston : 
"  One  thing  I  must  mention,  to  be  kept  as  a  pro- 
found secret:  The  fort  at  Ticonderoga  must  be 
seized  as  soon  as  possible,  should  hostilities  be 
committed  by  the  king's  troops ,  the  people  of  the 
New  Hampshire  grants  have  engaged  to  do  the 
business,  and  in  my  opinion  they  are  the  proper 
persons  for  the  job."  , 

The  "  Green  Mountain  Boys "  were,  without 
doubt,  "  the  proper  persons  for  the  job."  Ethan 
Allen's  was  the  voice  that  called  them  together, 
and  to  him  is  due  the  credit  of  carrying  the  design 
to  a  successful  termination,  notwithstanding  the 
views  of  quite  a  noted  writer  on  the  subject,  who 
divides  the    honor    between    him    and    Benedict 


h 


38 


TiconderOga. 


I 
I    ' 


I)  >i 


ft 


1 


Arnold,  generously  giving  the  latter  the  lion's 
share,  as  being  the  "duly  commissioned"  officer 
of  the  expedition.  Arnold  was  duly  commissioned 
by  the  Massachusetts  committee  of  safety  to  raise 
men  and  proceed  to  take  the  fort  in  question,  and 
he  conceived  the  brilliant  idea  of  raising  a  lot  that 
were  gathering  around  Ethan  Allen  at  Castleton. 
So,  hastening  forward  alone,  he  arrived  as  they 
were  preparing  to  march,  and  applied  for  the 
command  by  virtue  of  his  commission,  which 
modest  request  was  not  granted.  Even  after  this 
unjust  treatment,  with  a  generosity  truly  commend- 
able, he  was  willing  to  allow  Allen  to  accompany 
him  as  an  equal,  in  consideration  of  the  compara- 
tively unimportant  fact  that  the  men  would  not  go 
under  any  other  commander.  "  By  the  judicious 
course  of  Arnold  harmony  was  restored,"  and  they 
proceeded  on  their  way,  having  entered  into  an 
arrangement  whereby  they  were  to  hold  joint  com- 
mand —  a  sort  of  double-headed  military  monstros- 
ity—  one  arnled  with  authority ^  the  other  power. 
To  an  American,  Ethan  Allen  and  Ticonderoga 
seem  as  one,  and  the  history  of  the  fort  would  be 
incomplete  without  that  of  the  Green  Mountain 
leader.  He  was  born  in  1738  in  Connecticut,  re- 
moving thence  at  an  early  age,  and  settling  on  the 
New  Hampshire  grants.  A  man  of  strong,  natural 
endowments,  energy  and  decision  of  character ;  an 


Ethan  Allen. 


39 


unyielding  advocate  of  what  he  considered  right. 
Beloved  by  friends  and  feared  by  foes  he  naturally 
became  the  leader  of  the  settlers  on  the  western 
slope,  and  took  a  prominent  p?*!  in  resisting  the 
demands  of  New  York,  which  State,  claiming  juris- 
diction to  the  summit  of  the  Green  mountains, 
ejected  settlers  who  did  not  receive  a  title  from 
them,  punished  those  who  resisted,  and  declared 
Allen  an  outlaw,  with  a  price  set  upon  his  head. 
At  the  breaking  out  of  the  rebellion  he  raised  a 
company  of  men  and  started  to  attack  the  fort, 
accompanied  by  Arnold,  who  was  probably  endured 
because  of  the  commission  which  he  held,  while  his 
presence  made  no  difference  in  the  movement  of  the 
men.  From  Allen's  "  Narrative,"  written  in  1779, 
the  following  account  of  the  capture  is  taken : 

"  Ever  since  I  arrived  at  the  state  of  manhood, 
and  acquainted  myself  with  the  general  history  of 
mankind,  I  have  felt  a  sincere  passion  for  liberty. 
The  history  of  nations,  doomed  to  perpetual  slavery, 
in  consequence  of  yielding  up  to  tyrants  their  natu- 
ral-born liberties,  I  read  with  a  sort  of  philosophical 
horror;  so  that  the  first  systematical  and  bloody 
attempt  at  Lexington,  to  enslave  America,  thor- 
oughly electrified  my  mind,  and  fully  determined 
me  to  take  part  with  my  country.  And,  while  I 
was  wishing  for  an  opportunity  to  signalize  myself 
in  its  behalf,  directions  were  privately  sent  to  me 


40 


TiCONDEROGA. 


I- 


:l     ■. 


hi 


from  the  then  colony  (now  State)  of  Connecticut,  to 
raise  the  Green  Mountain  Boys,  and,  if  possible,  to 
surprise  and  take  the  fortress  of  Ticonderoga.  This 
enterprise  I  cheerfully  undertook ;  and,  after  first 
guarding  all  the  several  passes  that  led  thither,  to 
cut  off  all  intelligence  between  the  garrison  and  the 
country,  made  a  forced  march  from  Bennington, 
and  arrived  at  the  lake  opposite  to  Ticondeiioga 
on  the  evening  of  the  ninth  day  of  May,  1775,  with 
two  hundred  and  thirty  valiant  Green  Mountain 
Boys ;  and  it  was  with  the  utmost  difficulty  that  I 
procured  boats  to  cross  the  lake.  However,  1 
landed  eighty-three  men  near  the  garrison,  and  sent 
the  boats  back  for  the  rear  guard,  commanded  by 
Col.  Seth  Warner ;  but  the  day  began  to  dawn,  and 
I  found  myself  under  a  necessity  to  attack  the  fort, 
before  the  rear  could  cross  the  lake ;  and,  as  it  was 
viewed  hazardous,  I  harangued  the  officers  and 
soldiers  in  the  manner  following : 

"  *  Friends  and  fellow  soldiers,  you  have,  for  a 
number  of  years  past  been  a  scourge  and  terr«  r 
to  arbitrary  power.  Your  valor  has  been  famed 
abroad,  and  acknowledged,  as  appears  by  the  ad- 
vice and  orders  to  me  from  the  General  Assembly 
of  Connecticut,  to  surprise  and  take  the  garrison 
now  before  us.  T  now  propose  to  advance  before 
you,  and  in  person  conduct  you  through  the  wicl.  et- 
gate;   for  we  must  this  morning  either  quit  our 


Ethan  Allen. 


41 


pretensions  to  valor,  or  possess  ourselves  of  this 
fortress  in  a  few  minutes;  and,  inasmuch  as  it  is  a 
desperate  attempt,  which  none  but  the  bravest  of 
men  dare  undertake,  I  do  not  urge  it  on  any  con- 
trary to  his  will.  You  that  will  undertake  volun- 
tarily, poise  your  firelocks.* 

"  The  men  being,  at  this  time,  drawn  up  in  three 
ranks,  each  poised  his  firelock.  I  ordered  them  to 
face  to  the  right,  and  at  the  head  of  the  center  file, 
marched  them  immediately  to  the  wicket-gate 
aforesaid,  where  I  found  a  sentry  posted,  who 
instantly  snapped  his  fusee  at  me ;  I  ran  immedi- 
ately toward  him,  and  he  retreated  through  the 
covered  way  into  the  parade  within  the  garrison, 
gave  a  halloo,  and  run  under  a  bomb-proof.  My 
party,  who  followed  me  into  the  fort,  I  formed  on 
the  parade  in  such  a  manner  as  to  face  the  two  bar- 
racks which  faced  each  other. 

"  The  garrison  being  asleep,  except  the  sentries, 
we  gave  three  huzzas,  which  greatly  surprised 
them.  One  of  the  sentries  made  a  pass  at  one  of 
my  officers  with  a  charged  bayonet,  and  slightly 
wounded  him.  My  first  thought  was  to  kill  him 
with  my  sword;  but.  in  an  instant  I  altered  the 
design  and  fury  of  the  blow  to  a  slight  cut  on  the 
side  of  the  head ;  upon  which  he  dropped  his  gun, 
and  asked  quarter,  which  1  readily  granted  him, 
and  demanded  of  him  the  place  where  the  com- 


42 


TiCONDEROGA. 


I  ■ 


'-■  i' 

if 


111 

k 


manding  officer  kept ;  he  shewed  me  a  pair  of  stairs 
in  the  front  of  a  barrack,  on  the  west  part  of  the 
garrison,  which  led  up  a  second  story  in  said  bar- 
rack, to  which  I  immediately  repaired,  and  ordered 
the  commander,  Capt.  De  La  Place,  to  come  forth 
instantly,  or  I  would  sacrifice  the  whole  garrison ; 
at  which  the  captain  came  immediately  to  the  door 
with  his  breeches  in  his  hand ;  when  I  ordered  him 
to  deliver  me  the  fort  instantly;  he  asked  me  by 
what  authority  1  demanded  it ;  I  answered  him, 
*  In  the  name  of  the  Great  Jehovah,  and  the  Conti- 
nental Congress'  The  authority  of  the  Congress 
being  very  little  known  at  that  time,  he  began  to 
speak  again;  but  I  interrupted  him,  and  with  my  /, 
drawn  sword  over  his  head,  again  demanded  an 
immediate  surrender  of  the  garrison ;  with  which 
he  then  complied,  and  ordered  his  men  to  be  forth- 
with paraded  without  arms,  as  he  had  given  up 
the  garrison.  In  the  mean  time  some  of  my  officers 
had  given  orders,  and  in  consequence  thereof,  sun- 
dry of  the  barrack  doors  were  beat  down,  and 
about  one-third  of  the  garrison  imprisoned,  wliich 
consisted  of  the  said  commander,  a  Lieut.  Feltham, 
a  conductor  of  artillery,  a  gunner,  two  sergeants, 
and  forty-four  rank  and  file ;  about  one  hundred 
pieces  of  cannon,  one  thirteen  inch  mortar,  and  a 
number  of  swivels.  This  surprise  was  carried  into 
execution  in  the  grey  of  the  morning  of  the  tenth 


/ 


Ethan  Allen. 


43 


f 


of  May,  1775.  The  sun  ceemed  to  rise  that  morn- 
ing with  a  superior  lustre ;  and  Ticcnderoga  and 
its  dependencies  smiled  on  its  conquerors,  who 
tossed  about  the  flowing  bowl,  and  wished  success 
to  Congress,  and  the  liberty  and  freedom  of  Amer- 
ica. Happy  it  was  for  me,  at  that  time,  that  the 
then  future  pages  of  the  book  of  fate,  which  after- 
ward unfolded  a  miserable  scene  of  two  years  and 
/  eight  months  imprisonment,  were  hid  from  my  view. 
"  But  to  return  to  my  narration :  Col.  Warner, 
with  the  rear  guard,  crossed  the  lake,  and  joined 
me  early  in  the  morning,  whom  I  sent  off,  without 
loss  of  time,  with  about  one  hundred  men,  to  take 
possession  of  Crown  Point,  which  was  garrisoned 
with  a  sergeant  and  twelve  men,  which  he  took 
possession  of  the  same  day,  as  also  upwards  of  one 
hundred  pieces  of  cannon." 

In  September  of  the  same  year  Allen  joined  Maj. 
John  Brown  in  an  expedition  against  Montreal, 
was  captured  and  sent  to  England,  where  the 
populace  looked  upon  the  tall  American  as  a  great 
*«««««juriosity ;  but  the  government  found  that  they  had 
drawn  an  elephant,  and  did  not  know  how  to  get 
rid  of  him.  He  clearly  deserved  hanging,  but, 
unfortunately,  the  Yankees  held  too  many  loyal 
Englishmen  to  make  it  safe  to  inaugurate  such  a 
course  of  proceedings. 


f 


44 


TiCONDEROGA. 


He  was  carried  about  to  various  places  until 
January,  1777,  when  he  was  put  aboard  an  English 
vessel,  and  spent  most  of  the  time  until  November 
sailing  up  and  down  the  American  seaboard,  then 
allowed  to  go  ashore  on  his  parol.  While  await- 
ing in  New  York  to  be  exchanged  he  was  offered  a 
colonel's  commission  and  a  large  tract  of  land  in 
either  the  New  Hampshire  grants  or  Connecticut 
if  he  would  espouse  the  royal  cause  and  help  to 
subdue  the  rebels.     His  characteristic  reply  was: 

"  That,  if  by  faithfulness  I  had  recommended 
myself  to  Gen.  Howe,  I  should  be  loth,  by  unfaith- 
fulness, to  lose  the  General's  good  opinion ;  besides, 
that  I  viewed  the  offer  of  land  to  be  similar  to  that 
which  the  devil  offered  Jesus  Christ,  *  To  give  him 
all  the  kingdoms  of  the  world,  if  he  would  fall 
down  and  worship  him ;'  when,  at  the  same  time, 
the  damned  soul  had  not  one  foot  of  land  upon 
earth." 

In  May,  1778,  he  was  exchanged.  He  visited 
Washington  at  Valley  Forge ;  was  received  by  him 
with  marks  of  approbation  and  esteem,  and,  after 
offering  his  further  services  in  behalf  of  his  country, 
returned  to  Bennington,  where  he  arrived  on  the 
last  day  of  May,  with  health  much  impaired  by  the 
trials  he  had  undergone,  and  which,  probably, 
hastened  his  death,  which  occurred  February  13, 
1789. 


Burgoyne's  Expedition. 


45 


It  is  claimed  by  some  that  he  was  engaged  in  a 
treasonable  movement,  the  object  of  which  was  to 
attach  Vermont  to  Canada.  It  is  not  reasonable  to 
suppose  that  this  man,  who,  in  the  darkest  days  of 
the  rebellion,  sick  and  in  prison,  refused  wealth  and 
a  title,  would  have  plotted  treason  to  his  country 
at  a  time  when  light  was  breaking,  and  the  recol- 
lection of  Bennington  and  Saratoga  still  fresh  in 
the  hearts  of  the  people.  Rather  let  us  consider  it, 
what  the  result  seemed  to  prove,  a  master  stroke 
of  diplomacy,  which  effectually  stopped  all  military 
operations  of  the  army  under  Haldiman,  then  at 
Ticonderoga,  and  for  a  long  time  protected  the 
northern  frontier  from  the  depredations  of  the 
enemy.  Then  came  peace  and  rest  to  the  soldier, 
who,  had  he  been  less  a  par^^'zan,  might  have  made 
fewer  enemies,  but  not  what  he  was,  "Ethan  A  Hetty 
the  hero  of  Ticonderoga,  the  idol  of  the  Green 
Mountain  men." 

1776  passed  quietly  at  Ticonderoga,  with  the 
exception  of  an  alarm  caused  by  the  approach  of 
Sir  Guy  Carleton,  who  came  as  far  south  as  Crown 
Point,  and  then  withdrew  into  Canada  again ;  but, 
with  the  summer  of  1777,  came,  sweeping  from  the 
north,  the  brave,  the  accomplished,  the  conceited 
Burgoyne,  bringing,  in  his  train,  7,500  men,  who 
prepared  to  attack  Ticonderoga.  St.  Clair,  then  in 
command,  had  barely  sufficient  troops  to  man  the 


If 


*5 


TiCONDEROGA. 


i 

■ 


«  :i. 


,1    ■■ 
i!    !    << 


principal  works,  let  alone  the  outposts.  So,  on  the 
approach  of  the  English,  he  abandoned  his  position 
outside,  and  retired  within  the  old  French  lines. 
Burgoyne  advanced  and  took  possession,  erected 


MOUNT  DEFIANCE 


a  battery  on  the  rocky  bluff,  just  north  of  where 
the  village  of  Ticonderoga  now  stands,  thereby 
cutting  off  all  communication  with  Lake  George, 
and,  elated  by  the  advantage  gained,  called  it 
"  Mount  Hope."  From  this  point  a  brisk  cannon- 
ading was  commenced,  under  cover  of  which  a 
road  was  cut  to  the  summit  of  Sugar  Hill,  and  on 
the  night  of  the  4th  of  July  several  cannon  were 
conveyed  to  its  summit,  which  they  then  named 
"  Mount  Defiance."     When  the  morning  of  the  5th 


BuRGOYNE's  Expedition. 


47 


broke,  the  garrison  of  St.  Clair  beheld,  with  aston- 
ishment and  dismay,  the  guns  of  the  English  on 
the  top  of  the  mountain,  across  the  valley,  scarcely 
two  miles  distant,  from  which  they  could  easily 
throw  shot  and  shell  right  down  into  the  midst  of 
the  fortification.  A  council  of  war  was  called,  and 
an  evacuation  decided  upon ;  but,  as  every  move- 
ment within  the  fort  could  be  distinctly  seen  from 
Mount  Defiance,  the  men  were  not  told  of  the 
decision  of  the  commandant  until  after  dark. 
"Then  there  was  hurrying  to  and  fro;"  all  that 
could  be  removed  was  taken.  Guns  that  could  not 
be  taken  were  spiked ;  and  shortly  after  midnight 
the  stars  looked  down  on  a  throng  moving  silently 
away  across  the  chain-bridge.  Then,  once  more, 
the  grim  old  fortress  was  left  silent  and  alone. 

Contrary  to  express  orders,  one  of  the  soldiers, 
on  abandoning  Mount  Independence,  set  fire  to  a 
house,  and  the  light  streaming  far  out,  across  the 
water,  revealed  the  retreating  Americans  to  the 
watchful  foe.  They  hastened  their  flight,  and  the 
greater  part,  taking  the  road  toward  Castleton, 
were  followed  and  engaged  by  the  English,  who 
complained  that  "  the  Green  Mountain  Boys  took 
sight.''  The  result  was  a  victory  for  the  English, 
with  a  loss  of  nearly  ten  to  one  of  the  Yankees. 

The  others ,  retreating  up  Wood  creek  to  Skeens- 
boro',  were  pursued    by   Burgoyne,   who    broke 


48 


TiCONDEROGA. 


\i\ 


IP 


through  the  chain  bridge  and  reached  the  landing 
nearly  as  soon  as  they,  capturing  most  of  the 
stores  and  ammunition,  the  men  escaping  to  Fort 
Ann. 

St.  Clair  was  removed  from  his  command,  but 
at  an  after-investigation  justified  and  honored  for 
the  moral  bravery  displayed  in  choosing  to  sacri- 
fice his  own  reputation  rather  than  the  lives  of  his 
soldiers.     Then  came  the  story  of 

"  The  Green  Mountaineer  —  the  Stark  of  Bennington. 

When  on  that  field  his  band  the  Hessians  fought, 
Briefly  he  spolce  before  the  fight  began  : 

'  Soldiers  !  those  German  gentlemen  are  bought 
For  four  pounds  eight  and  seven  pence  per  man, 

By  England's  king  ;  a  bargain  as  is  thought. 
Are  we  worth  more  ?    Let's  prove  it  now  we  can  ; 

For  we  must  beat  them,  boys,  ere  set  of  sun, 
Or  Mollis  Stark's  a  widow.'     li  was  doMe" 

Then  "  Saratoga,"  bringing  humiliation  to  the 
English  and  joy  to  the  struggling  patriots,  and  the 
garrison  at  Ticonderoga  dismantling  the  old  fort, 
retired  into  Canada. 

It  was  occupied  again  in  1780  by  the  forces 
under  General  Haldiman,  and  was  the  scene  of 
those  bloodless  battles  of  diplomacy  where  Allen 
plotted  treason  with  such  consummate  sagacity 
that  his  bitterest  enemy  could  find  nothing  to  jus- 
tify their  suspicions  of  wrong ;  all  of  which  goes 
to  prove  him  a  very  subtle  villain  indeed.  Mean- 
while the  enemy  of  his   country  rested  on  their 


Peace. 


49 


arms    along    the    northern    frontier,   "  and    peace 
reigned  throughout  her  borders." 

Then  once  again  an  enemy  attacked  the  old  fort. 
Coming  not  with  the  sound  of  martial  music  and 
the  gay  trapi)ings  of  the  soldiery,  but  with  ban- 
ners of  trailing  cloud  and  drifting  mist,  with  music 
of  wind  and  rain  and  echoing  thunder,  while 
frosts  rack  and  tempests  beat  upon  the  frowning 
walls,  which  crumble  and  fall  away,  and  nature, 
reclaiming  her  own,  tenderly  covers  it  over  with 
springing  grass  and  creeping  vines,  hastening  the 
time  when  nothing  shall  remain  to  tell  the  story  of 
the  past  but  the  soimding  name  that  the  Red  Men 
gave  it  long  ago. 


50 


TiCONDEROGA. 


i 


!l 

nl 


fl: 


HE  Fort  Ticonderoga  Hotel  was  built 
in  1826  by  William  F.  Pell  for  a  sum- 
mer residence,  and  first  occupied  as 
a  hotel  in  1840,  when  the  grounds 
were  thrown  open  to  the  public. 

The  central  portion  is  two  stories 
high ;  the  front  sustained  by  massive 
columns,  around  which  vines  cling 
and  climb  to  the  very  top.  On  each 
side  extciids  long,  low  wings,  with  suits  of  rooms 
at  the  extreme  ends,  which  can  be  entered  from  the 
outside  or  through  the  glass-enclosed  verandah 
from  the  main  building.  The  hotel  fa(  he  east, 
is  fronted  by  a  tree-covered  lawn,  through  which 
a  plank  walk  leads  down  to  the  steamboat  dock, 
and  a  road  runs  through  the  fields  to  the  depot 
a  little  to  the  north,  over  which  a  free  carriage 
conveys  guests  to  and  from  all  trains.  The.  house 
is  open  day  and  night ;  the  principal  business  is 
the  dinners,  which  are  first-class,  and  partaken  of  by 
hungry  travelers  while  waiting  for  the  boats  ;  and, 
altogether,  it  is  a  very  enjoyable  place,  imless  it 
rains,  in  which  case  (to  use  a  strong  word,  and  one 
with  a  smack  of  profanity  about  it,  perfectly 
plain  to  those  who  have  been  thereabouts  at  such 
times)  it  is  simply  **  Ticonderoga." 


■ 


WHHHHSpWCr 
B  o  o  o  o  2  3  ffS" 


^  —  i  iJ  pj  3 

w a.t%^ 

n  (T  o 

orq  an* 

d' 
a 


OS 


i 

B 


S  2;"333 
B  j  g  p  e  c  e 
n  Sen  S  5  o  D 

«  75  5  K  "^  •<  1 
—  o  CO  o  5 
f^f  B  B  B 

B-'         B  D 

pp 


\i 


I 


$9 


TiCONDEROGA. 


THE  BARRACKS. 


PRESENT  STATE  OF  THE  RUINS. 

ROM  the  south  end  of  the  hotel  a  path 
leads  across  the  field,  where,  at  its  out- 
skirts, we  climb  over  the  stone  wall, 
and,  following  along  under  the  locusts,  a 
little  way  to  the  south  come  to  the  "  old 
fort  well,"  a  never  failing  spring,  the 
green,  slimy  home  of  the  frog  and  the  lizard,  nearly 
filled  with  stones  and  clinging  alders.  Crossing 
the  road  we  follow  along  up  the  stone  fence  over 
the  very  road  pursued  by  Alien  on  that  May  morn- 
ing nearly  a  century  ago.  There  is  little  doubt 
about  it. 

Allen's  narrative,  the  various  traditions,  and  the 
testimony  of  Isaac  Rice,  whose  brother  was  with 
Allen  at  the  time,  establish  this  fact,  as  well  as  that 
of  the  place  where  the  commandant  slept,  and 
where  he  stood  when  the  tall  Vermonter  demanded 
the  surrender.     The  old  soldier,  who,  himself,  per- 


I 


The  Underground  Passsage. 


53 


formed  garrison  duty,  under  St.  Clair,  for  many 
years  acted  as  a  guide  at  the  ruins,  and  was  buried, 
at  liis  own  request,  within  the  fortress,*  there  to 
sleep  until  the  great  reveille  shall  vSound,  and  he 
rises  to  answer  at  roll-call,  in  a  world  that  has  no 
ruins. 

A  great  pile  of  stones  mark  the  spot  where  once 
existed  the  entrance  to  the  covered  way  {^protected 
way  would  be  better  understood  among  unmilitary 
people,  as  it  protected  a  person  within  it  from  an 
enemy  at  the  sides  only,  being  open  at  the  top), 
where  the  sentry  snapped  his  fusee  at  Allen.  The 
walls  are  thirty-three  inches  apart,  and  can  be 
easily  traced  to  where  they  seem  to  enter  the  fort 
at  the  south-east  corner  of  the  parade-ground.  The 
walls  of  the  barrack,  on  the  west,  where  the  com- 
mandant slept,  are  still  standing ;  those  on  the 
south  are  nearly  gone,  while  the  cellar  only  shows 
where  the  east  line  stood.  Along  the  north  side  is 
what  was  probably  the  bomb-proof,  under  which 
the  soldier  ran  when  pursued  by  Allen.  The 
foundation  can  be  traced  along  the  front  and  across 
the  ends.  On  the  side  toward  the  parade  are  the 
remains  of  four  heavy  piers  or  columns  of  mason 
work,  which  supported  the  roof.  Under  this  men 
could  retire,  and,  through  the   embrasures    that 


* 


•  Cook. 


K  \- 


54 


TiCONDEROGA. 


lili^ 


i 


1 1 


looked  out  toward  the  north,  bring  guns  to  bear  on 
an  enemy  approaching  from  that  direction. 

I  am  aware  that  this  statement  is  not  in  accord- 
ance with  any  other  given;  but  I  consider  the 
proof  sufficient  to  carry  me  out  in  the  assertion. 
The  outline  of  all  the  walls  are  perfectly  plain. 
The  foundation  of  this  one  is  well  preserved ;  the 
corners  sharp,  and  unmistakably  made  so,  as  well  as 
the  piers  built  on  the  inside  for  the  (probable)  sup- 
port of  the  roof.  If  this  ever  had  a  fourth  wall, 
why  should  all  trace  of  it  be  wanting  at  the  present 
day,  when  others  are  so  plainly  defined  ?  The  fact 
that  the  retreating  soldier  ran  into  the  parade  first 
is  presumptive  evidence  that  he  had  to  do  so  to 
reach  the  bomb-proof.  Allen  says :  "  My  party, 
who  followed  me  into  the  fort,  I  formed,  on  the 
parade,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  face  the  two  bar- 
racks, w/tu'/i  face  each  other''  It  is  evident  that 
Allen  meant,  by  that  sentence,  to  describe  the 
position  that  his  men  occupied.;,  but  if  the  barracks 
faced  each  other  on  the  north  and  south,  as  well  as 
on  the  east  and  west,  the  sentence  would  be  mere 
foolishness,  and  express  nothing.  The  idea  that 
there  were  barracks  on  the  four  sides,  probably, 
grew  out  of  the  fact  that  there  were  four  buildings, 
but  two  of  the  four  were  on  the  south  side,  and 
between  them  the  main  entrance  to  the  parade. 


I  • 


The  Grenadier  Battery. 


55 


on 


Let  us  go  to  the  place  where  Allen  entered,  at 
the  south  end  of  the  east  line  of  barracks,  which  is 
here  cut  off  on  a  line  with  the  parade  by  a  descend- 
ing alley,  looking  out  toward  the  old  well,  and  con- 
tinued in  the  trench  and  double  line  of  walls  which 
was  the  covered  way.  We  wonder  at  the  peculiar 
shape  of  the  foundation  on  the  extreme  point  of 
this  corner,  like  in  shape  to  the  head  of  an  Indian 
arrow,  the  point  extending  outward.  Half  way 
down  to  the  point  of  the  promontory  a  rocky  ledge 
crops  out.  Extending  beyond  is  the  remains  of  an 
old  battery  or  covered  way.  On  the  brow  of  the 
promontory,  commanding  the  lake  for  quite  a  dis- 
tance, as  it  circles  around,  is  the  grenadier  battery, 
a  substantial  looking,  b^one  and  earth  fort,  designed 
for  heavy  guns,  having  seven  angles,  the  side  front- 
ing the  water  curved  inward.  It  is  said  to  have 
been  the  one  commenced  by  Baron  Dieskau  in 
1755.  The  chain  or  floating  bridge  extended  from 
near  the  steamboat  landing  to  the  point  on  the 
opposite  shore  where  you  will  find,  near  the  foot 
of  the  hill,  the  water  battery,  and,  higher  up,  lines 
of  breastworks;  while  on  the  summit  is  the  ruins  of 
what,  in  '^6,  was  a  picket  fort,  surrounding  a  square 
of  barracks.  Here  are  the  graves  of  many  soldiers, 
their  last  resting  place  marked  by  little,  rough 
headstones  —  "nameless,  all  but  one,  and  that  a 
name  unknown." 


56 


TiCOXDEROGA. 


I  ■   i 


It 


III 


I' 
I 


^il 


pi 


'I 


■li 


Returning  to  the  old  fort,  we  find  at  the  south- 
west corner,  just  outside  of  the  barracks,  the  sur- 
face broken  and  thrown  up  into  grassy  mounds, 

marking  the  position 
of  one  of  the  three 
underground  rooms 
which  existed  at  the 
time  Amherst  took 
possession  of  the 
fort;  the  second  is 
found  in  a  similar 
condition  to  the  first, 
at  the  north-west 
corner ;  the  door  and 
entrance  from  the 
cellar  of  the  officers' 
quarters  being  quite 
well  preserved  now. 
Following  along  the 
hollow  that  seems  to 
mark  the  course  of 
an  underground  passage  to  the  north-east  corner, 
you  stand  over  the  third,  which  is  one  of  the  best 
preserved  portions  of  the  ruins.  To  enter  you 
climb  down  into  the  cellar,  now  nearly  filled  with 
broken  stones  and  overrun  with  vines,  and,  stoop- 
ing low,  make  your  way  through  the  opening 
before  you.  ; 


THE  BARRACK  WINDOW. 


The  Magazine. 


57 


THE    MAGAZINE. 


At  one  time  a  man  could  enter  erect,  but  now 
stones  stop  the  way,  and  earth  and  stones  half  fill 
the  room  beneath.  You  find  it  is  bomb-proof, 
about  twelve  feet  wide  by  thirty  long,  with  arched 
roof;  the  entrance  at  the  south-west  corner;  at 
the  south  is  a  large  sky -light;  at  the  east  end  a 
small,  chimney-like  aperture ;  at  each  corner  of 
this  end  are  small  circular  rooms,  with  arched 
roof,  one  about  seven,  the  other  ten,  feet  in  diam- 
eter. At  the  west  end  the  side  wall  has  fallen  in, 
where,  apparently,  an  underground  passage  led  off 
toward  the  room  at  the  west  barrack,  the  indica- 
tion of  which  can  be  traced  along  the  surface. 
What  this  was  for  is  a  matter  of  supposition.  Some 
say  that  this  was  the  bakery,  and  it  is  generally 


M 


58 


TiCONDEROGA. 


M 


I 


spoken  of  as  such.  But  was  it  necessary  to  have 
the  bakery  so  well  protected  ?  Military  men  gen- 
erally say  that  it  was  the  magazine.  "  You  pays 
your  money  and  you  takes  your  choice." 

Come  out  and  stand  once  more  on  the  rounded 
top.  At  our  feet  is  a  deep  ditch ;  in  the  center,  on 
the  north  and  west,  are  two  high  bastions  com- 
manding the  approach  from  these  directions; 
around  them  also  flows  the  trench  in  which  troops 
could  be  marched  and  massed  at  any  desired  point 
within  the  circuit.  Outside  of  the  ditch,  following 
its  various  angles,  is  the  outer  wall,  once  breast 
high,  but  now  almost  level  with  the  plain,  and  the 
glacis  slopes  off  toward  Champlain  on  the  north, 
and  upward  toward  the  old  French  lines  at  the 
north-west.  ' 

Turning  toward  the  sunrise  we  look  down  over 
the  old  camp  well,  the  waving  locusts  and  grove, 
where  stands  the  hotel  with  its  double  guard  of 
spectral  looking  poplars,  and  the  field  to  the  north, 
which  is  probably  the  scene  of  Champlain's  battle 
with  the  Iroquois  over  two  hundred  years  ago. 

A  long  bridge  stretches  away  across  the  lake, 
and  a  huge,  white,  floating  draw  swings  open  and 
shut  as  the  steamers  come  and  go.  Just  a  little 
north,  on  the  further  shore,  is  the  place  where,  on 
the  evening  of  the  9th  of  May,  1775,  the  Green 
Mountain  Boys  gathered,  with  eyes  set  toward  the 


r» 


Ethan  Allen. 


59 


old  fort ;  while  away  beyond,  where  the  mountains 
slope  toward  the  west,  from  their  blue  summit  to 
the  water's  edge,  lies  the  disputed  territory  —  the 
New  Hampshire  grants.  .    ^ 

Turn  back  a  hundred  pages  in  the  book  of  time. 
It  is  night  —  one  of  those  bright,  dewy  ones  that 
heralds  the  approach  of  a  day  of  uncommon  love- 
liness. Knowing  all  things,  we  understand  the 
thoughts  of  those  who  gather  on  that  further  shore, 
and  as  the  stars,  slowly  rising  above  the  eastern 
mountains,  proclaim  the  coming  morn,  we  see  the 
dusky  throng  come  up  out  of  the  water,  and  stand 
silently  on  this  side.  Now  a  tall  form  steps  out 
from  among  the  little  band;  we  hear  the  brief 
harangue,  and  see  every  gun  poised  in  token  of 
their  willingness  to  follow  where  Ethan  Allen 
leads.  We  follow  their  stealthy  march  across  the 
lowland,  past  the  old  fort  well,  and  up  the  path  to 
the  wicket-gate.  The  startled  sentry  raises  his 
gun  at  the  leader,  but  no  sound  follows  the  motion. 
Perhaps  it  was  not  loaded ;  the  lazy  red  coats  were 
not  expecting  an  enemy  so  soon.  Now  the  attack- 
ing party  follow  the  retreating  soldier  through  the 
covered  way  into  the  parade,  and  hastily  form  in 
two  lines,  facing  the  barracks,  which  face  each 
other,  not  ruins  now,  but  grim  and  stately  they 
stand  —  east,  west  and  south  —  with  a  balcony  on 
a  line  with  the  second  floor,  across  the  front  of  each. 


6o 


TiCONDEROGA. 


The  gray  of  the  May  morning  is  turning  into 
crimson,  and  the  chimney  tops  are  penciled  with 
gold,  as  the  loud  huzzas  of  the  Green  Mountain 
men  wake  the  echoes  of  the  old  fortress.  A  sentry 
makes  a  pass  at  one  of  Allen's  officers.  Like  a 
gleam  of  light  the  sword  of  the  leader  describes  a 
circle  in  the  air,  and  descends  on  the  head  of  the 
rash  man ;  but  the  fierce  flash  of  anger  that  gave 
fury  to  the  blow  is  tempered  with  mercy,  and 
turns  it  aside  in  its  --'(escent.  The  musket  falls  to 
the  ground,  and  the  frightened  soldier  begs  for 
life,  which  Allen  grants,  demanding  to  be  shown 
where  the  commandant  sleeps.  He  is  directed  to 
a  stairway  that  leads  up  to  the  gallery  of  the  west 
line  of  barracks,  and  up  this  he  goes,  while  the 
sound  of  crashing  doors  break  on  the  ears  of  the 
half-awakened  garrison.  When  near  the  south  end 
of  the  building  he  thumps  loudly  on  a  door  with 
the  hilt  of  his  heavy  sword.  Captain  De  La  Place 
appears  with  astonishment  on  his  face,  and  his 
small  clothes  in  his  hands,  while  his  young  wife 
stands  tremblingly  behind  him.  He  has  no  time 
to  parley,  for  the  giant  form  of  the  Yankee  leader 
towers  up  before  him,  demanding  the  surrender  by 
authority  higher  than  he  had  ever  dreamed;  he 
hasn't  even  time  to  find  out  whether  Allen  is  duly 
commissioned  or  not.  A  man  is  never  wholly  a 
man  with  his  boots  off;  so  what  can  a  poor  little 


Ethan  Allen. 


6i 


British  officer,  with  only  one  garment  on,  do,  but 
surrender  when  that  great  sword  is  suspended 
threateningly  above  his  head.  The  order  is  given, 
the  garrison  parades  without  arms,  and  the  rising 
sun  shines  un  the  first  English  prisoner  of  the  revo- 
lution. 

But  where  is  that  gold-laced,  duly  commis- 
sioned brain  which  contributed  so  much  to  the 
success  of  the  enterprize, "  without  whom  the  expe- 
dition possibly  might  have  failed?"  If  Arnold 
entered  first,  as  he  claims,  why  did  the  sentry  at 
the  wicket  gate  pay  that  delicate  little  attention  to 
Allen  instead  of  him  ?  Bancroft  says  of  Allen : 
"  Placing  himself  at  the  head  of  the  center  file, 
Arnold  keeping  emulously  at  his  side,  he  marched 
to  the  gate." 

In  a  late  work  on  Lake  George  the  author  quotes 
a  part  of  the  above,  but  in  such  a  manner  that  the 
reader  is  left  in  doubt,  while  he  rather  inclines  to 
the  opinion  that  Allen  is  the  emulous  individual 
referred  to. 

Imagine  for  a  moment  the  stupendous  Benedict 
sweeping  majestically  onward,  with  the  little  Ver- 
monter  trotting  emulously  along  at  his  side.  Ar- 
nold claims,  in  his  report  to  the  committee  on 
safety,  that  he  was  "  the  first  who  entered  and  took 
possession  of  the  fort ;"  probably  in  the  same  man- 
ner that  he  took  command  of  the  men  at  Castleton, 


62 


TiCONDEROGA. 


1- 


concerning  which  Bancroft  says,  when  Arnold 
claimed  command  by  virtue  of  the  commission 
given  him  by  this  same  committee,  it  "  was  disre- 
garded, and  the  men  unanimously  elected  Ethan 
Allen  their  chief." 

"Arnold's  bravery  was  never  questioned." 
Neither  was  his  assurance;  but  the  position  that 
he  occupied  on  this  occasion  seems  to  have  been 
that  of  a  sort  of  ornamental  figure-head  —  a  mili- 
tary necessity,  in  shape  of  a  magnificently  gotten 
up  uniform,  which  would  have  answered  every 
purpose  if  the  occupant  had  been  dropped  out 
somewhere  on  the  road  and  lost. 

But,  to  return  once  more  to  the  ruins  of  to-day. 
We  cross  the  parade,  which  is  about  fifty  paces 
long,  and  twenty-two  broad,  to  the  south-west 
corner ;  pass  through  the  alley,  out  over  the  fallen 
bomb-proof  room,  down  into  the  ditch,  and,  cross- 
ing at  the  left  of  the  west  bastion,  go  up  the 
inclined  plane  (which  was  the  entrance  and  sally- 
port), toward  the  north,  noticing  that  the  walls  lap, 
one  past  the  other,  like  those  of  a  snail-shell,  the 
inleading  path  circling  around  until  it  enters  the 
parade  on  the  south.  Beside  the  natural  defenses 
on  this  unexposed  side  a  narrow  wall  was  con- 
sidered sufficient  protection.  Toward  the  west  the 
surface  of  the  promontory  breaks  suddenly  away, 
descending  nearly  a  hundred  feet  in  its  slope  to  the 


A  Tradition. 


63 


■ 


water's  edge.  Tluit  ditch,  in  which  stands  the 
great,  wavy  chn,  is  said  to  have  been  a  covtred 
way  to  the  lake.  Alders  and  thorn-trees  grow  on 
the  hillside ;  the  red-plumed  sumachs  press  up  the 
steep,  and  clinging  ivy,  mounting  upward,  where 
an  enemy  could  not  hope  to  climb,  covers  the  gray 
rocks  with  a  robe  of  living  green.  Across  the  val- 
ley is  Mount  Defiance,  sloping  gently  to  the  north, 
up  which,  on  that  anniversary  prospective,  many 
years  ago,  Burgoyne's  men  went,  dragging  the 
heavy  cannon  which  greeted  St.  Clair,  as  he  looked 
toward  its  summit,  the  morning  after. 

Of  the  many  traditions  that  cluster  around  the 
place  we  will  repeat  but  one  —  found  in  Cook's 
/  **  Ticonderoga,"  and  apparently  well  authenticated: 
An  Indian  girl,  of  remarkable  beauty,  was  confined 
in  this  fortress  by  one  of  the  French  officers.  Fright- 
ened by  his  coarse  attention,  her  life  became  a  con- 
tinual torture,  and  escape  at  any  price  was  prefer- 
able to  remaining  there  in  his  power.  Walking,  by 
compulsion,  with  him  one  night  upon  the  western 
wall,  preferring  death  to  dishonor,  she  sprang 
away,  over  the  giddy  parapet,  meeting  her  death 
upon  the  rocks  below,  but  with  the  wild  spirit,  as 
it  left  the  mangled,  bleeding  form,  went  up  a  savage 
cry  for  vengeance,  that  descended,  swift  and  sure 
on  the  head  of  him  who  had  driven  her  across  the 
dark  river. 


«4 


TiCONDEROGA. 


I. 


Seated  here,  on  the  western  wall,  of  a  summer 
aftei*noon  the  mind  is  entranced,  and  the  spirit  held 
captive,  by  the  exquisite  beauty  of  the  scene.  What 
harmonious  combinations  of  strength  and  delicacy 
in  the  brilliant,  rocky  foreground,  and  dreamy,  ten- 
der distance;  what  sparkling  bits  of  light,  of  broad, 
sweet  shadow,  down  in  the  depths  of  that  radiant 
sea  of  haze,  out  of  which  gleams  glittering  gems, 
and  bits  of  fallen  sky.  The  sun,  sinking  behind  the 
wooded  summit  of  Mount  Defiance,  pencils  long 
lines  of  gold  through  an  atmosphere  of  misty  white, 
tipping  the  tree  tops  with  light,  while  the  hillside, 
sloping  toward  us,  is  resting  all  in  cool,  gray 
shadow.  The  river  comes  winding  down  through 
reedy  flats,  and  patches  of  bright  and  sombre  green, 
under  the  long  bridge,  stretching  away  across  to 
the  south,  past  the  belt  of  graceful  elms  and  clumps 
of  alders  that  fringe  the  meadow,  over  which  a  flock 
of  sheep  are  wending  their  slow  way  homeward, 
nipping,  here  and  there,  a  tender  bit  of  grass  as 
they  go. 

The  trees  cast  long  shadows  across  the  meadow, 
lengthening  out  toward  us,  until  overtaken  and 
absorbed  by  that  of  the  mountain.  Slowly  the  last 
crtmson  ray  retreats  before  the  advancing  shadows ; 
slowly  it  climbs  the  steep  hillside,  glorifying  the 
rocks,  shining  among  the  thorn-apples,  lingering  in 
the  masses  of  dark  green,  outlining  their  shadowy 


Good  Night. 


«$ 


forms,  with  edges  of  light,  rests  lovingly  upon 
the  sumacs,  whose  brilliant  plumes  glow  with  an 
added  fire,  then  burning  a  moment  on  the  grey 
wall,  die  out,  while  the  shining  bars  rise  up  higher 
and  higher,  and  streaming  away  out  over  our  heads 
across  the  valley  to  the  east,  kiss  the  summits  of 
the  distant  mountains  good  night,  and  mount 
upward  into  the  world  of  light  from  whence  they 
came. 

As  the  shadows  of  night  come  down  over  us, 
the  twitter  of  little  birds  settling  to  rest  is  heard  ; 
the  circling  night  hawk,  with  his  lonesome  cry, 
comes  sweeping  past ;  the  voice  of  the  whippoor- 
will  is  in  the  thicket ;  the  cricket  chirps  among  the 
stones ;  the  sound  of  waves  plashing  on  the  beach 
is  borne  faintly  on  the  odor-laden  air ;  a  monoto- 
nous song  comes  up  from  the  swamp,  and  the 
myriad  voices  of  a  summer  night  all  blend  together 
in  inexpressible  harmony,  while  one  by  one  the 
eternal  stars  come  out  and  look  pityingly  down 
on  the  dim  old  walls  and  darkling  battlements  of 
Ticonderoga. 


h^ 


l>^  i 


■i 


I, 


I'  ^  ' 


"VERMONT," 
"ADIRONDACK,"     • 
"UNITED  STATES," 
"OAKES  AMES,"  (terry) 


Captain  WILLIAM  H.  FLACQ 

"       WM.  ANDERSON 

"       GEO.  RUSHLOW. 


ii 


B.  J.  HOLT. 


SUMMER 


MoniJny, 
TnrHflaff,     - 
Wrducnaay, 
Th  nradny,  - 
Fridaif, 
Saturday f  - 


Monday, 

Tuesday, 

WodiH'Nday, 

Thursday, 

Friday, 

Saturday, 


ARRANGEMENT, 

NOHTH. 

-    AninoynACK. 

UNITED  STATES. 

-  VEKMONI, 
UNITED  STATES. 

-  ADIRONDAiK. 

UNITED  STATES. 

NORTH. 
TKRMONT. 
ADIRONDACK. 
ADIRONDACK. 
TKIIMONT. 
VERMONT. 
•  None. 


1873. 


SOUTH. 
VERMOST. 
AI>inOND.:CK. 
A  DIRO  X  nA  €K. 
VERMONT. 
VERiHitNT. 
ADIRONDACK. 


ROUTH. 

UNITED  STATES. 
VERMONT. 

united  states, 
adirondack. 
unit;-:d  states. 

None. 


C  Oli^IsrniO  TIOIsTB . 

WHITEHAL.L,— R.  anrtS.  R.  U.    TICONDEROGA,— Stages,  andSteam- 

ern  through  Lake  George.  BURLINGTON,— Vt.  Central  K.  ii.  PORT 
KKNT,— Stages  for  Kecsevillo  and  the  Adirondacks.  PL,ATTSBURGH, 
— N.  Y.  and  Canada  R.  K.  BOUSK'S  POINT,— O.  &  L,  C.  and  Grand 
Trunk  Railroads. 


DAY  BOAT— (Going  South)— Leaves  Rouse's  Point  on 
of  train  fr^ni  Montreal  and  Ojidensburg,    8.15   A.    m., 
board;  Plattsburgh,  (ferry)  8.00  A.  M. 


the  arrival 

breakfast  on 

Port  Kent,  8.4.5  a.  m.;  aiTive 


at  Burlin<;ton,  10.45  A.  M.;  Tieonderoga,  2.30  p.  m.;  Whitehall,  4.45; 


M. 


Sarat()f;a,  (via  R.  R.)  6.35;  Albany,  8.30  i\  M.;  Mew  York,  6.00  a. 

NIGHT  BOAT— (GoiKG  South)- Leaves  Rouse'.  Point  on  the  arrival 
of  trains  from  Montreal  and  O^idensburg  5.40  v.  m.,  supper  on  board; 
Pluttsburgh,  7.45  p.  M.;  Port  Kent,  8.45  p.  m.;  arrive  at  Burlington, 
0.30  p.  M.;  Ticonderoga,  3.30  a.  m.;  Whitehall,  5.45  a.  m.;  Saratoga,  (via 
R.R.)  7.45  A.  M  ;  Albany,  9.45  a.  m.;  New  York,  2.30  p.  M. 

DAY  MOAT— (Going  North)— Lea  es  Whitehall  on  arrival  of  trains 
from  New  York,  Troy,  Albany  and  Saratoga,  10.45  A.  m.,  dine  on 
board,  and  arrive  at  Ticonderoga,  12,45;  Burlington,  5.00;  Port  Kent, 
5.40;  Platt:*burgh  7  00  Rouse'j  Point,  9.00;  St.  Johns,  (via  R.  R.)  10.00; 
Montreal,  11.00  P  M 

NKiHT  BOAT— (Going  North)- Leaves  Whitehall  on  arrival  of 
trains  fi-om  New  York,  Troy,  Albany  and  Saratoga,  8.20  p.  m.;  supper 
on  board,  and  arrive  at  Ticonderosa,  10.15  p.  m.;  Burlington,  3.00  A.  m.; 
Port  Kent,  3.40;  Plattsburgh,  5.00;  Rouse's  Point,  7.00;  St.  Johns,  (via 
R.  R.)  8.30;  Mortreal,  10.00;  Maloue,  10.07;  Potsdam,  11.35  A.  M.; 
Ogdens.Airg,  12.35  P.  M. 


(^ 


' 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


f 


Pagb, 

Ego 3 

"  Off  for  Lake  George," 6 

Glen's  Falls  : 

The  village,  hotels,  falls,  caves,  etc 9 

On  the  Plank  :  Our  party 16 

Pond  Lillies ' 20 

The  Half-way  House 21 

Williams  Monument 25 

Bloody  Pond 26 

Arrival  at  the  Lake 29 

Lake  George: 

Discovery,  name,  some  information,  references,  etc.  30 

Lo  !  the  poor  Indian 32 

Caldwell,  hotels,  etc 37 

Crosbyside 41 

Old  Fort  William  Henry 43 

The  Garrison 44 

Fort  George  :  An  adventure 45 

The  Historian  Rises  to  Explain 48 

Topographical 50 

Battle  of  Lake  George 51 

Vaudreuil's  expedition 53 

Capture  of  Fort  William  Henry 54 

The  massacre 55 

Ringing  the  changes 56 

Steamboats  —  past  and  present 57 

Small  boats 59 

Fishermen,  their  terms,  information,  etc 60 

Game  laws 60 

Excursions 6i 

Table  of  distances , 62 

Down  the  Lake  : 

Tea  Island 64 

Diamond  Island 66 


11 


I  I' 

I- 

t ' 


m 


68  Contents. 

Down  the  Lake —  (Concluded) :  pag«, 

The  Coolidge  House 67 

"Alpha,  Delta,  Phi" 68 

Kattskill  Bay,  hotels,  etc 69 

Dome  Island 70 

Recluse  Island 71 

Bolton 73 

The  Mohican  House 75 

The  Bolton  House,  others 77 

Church  of  St.  Sacrament 79 

From  Shore  to  Shore  :  Shelving  Rock 80 

Fourteen  Mile  Island 81 

Personal 82 

Hen  and  Chickens.Huckleberry  and  Ref  jge  Islands,  83 

Shelving  Rock  Falls 84 

The  Narrows 85 

Through  the  Narrows 86 

Black  Mountain,  "  As  You  Were  Island  " 86 

The  Harbor  Islands ;  Parker's  Expedition 87 

Epicurean 88 

Captain  Sam  as  a  Sailor 90 

The  Deer's  Leap 92 

The  Elephant 93 

Hulett's  Landing 94 

The  Bosom  95 

Sabbath  Day  Point 96 

Hague loi 

Anthony's  Nose 102 

Rogers'  Slide 103 

Prisoners'  Isle , 104 

"  Good  bye," 106 

Appendix 107 

The  hotels,  their  situation,  attractions,  accommo- 
dations, terms,  etc 109 

Steamboats  and  stages,  their  officers,  fares,  time 

tables,  etc.,  for  1873 114 

Probabilities 115 


i»l 


Pack 
67 

68 

69 

70 

71 

73 

75 

77 

79 

80 

81 

82 

Islands,  83 

84 

85 

86 

86 

87 

88 

90 

92 

93 

94 

95 

96 

lOI 

102 

103 

104 

106 

107 

:ommo- 

109 

5S,  time 

"4 

"5 


